How to Stop Time By Matt Haig

DD4XfjvXsAADdOM

A couple of months ago I saw a tweet on twitter about a new book that was due out this year which was called How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. From this point on I was very intrigued about this book and knew that I wanted to read it as soon as it came out. However, I emailed Jamie at Canongate to see whether they had any review copies of this book still available and Jamie was kind enough to send me a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. So, once again I would like to thank Jamie for being so kind and sending me a copy.

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig will be published on the 6^th July, 2017 and this was actually the first book that I had read by the author Matt Haig and I definitely wasn’t disappointed. The story centres on (Official Blurb): “I am old. That is the first thing to tell you. The thing you are least likely to believe. If you saw me you would probably think I was about forty, but you would be wrong. Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he’s been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen a lot, and now craves an ordinary life. Always changing his identity to stay alive, Tom has the perfect cover – working as a history teacher at a London comprehensive. Here he can teach the kids about wars and witch hunts as if he’d never witnessed them first-hand. He can try and tame the past that is fast catching up with him. The only thing Tom mustn’t do is fall in love.”

There were many things that I really enjoyed about this book. However, one thing that speaks volumes about this novel is the fact that before it was even published Benedict Cumberbatch has already brought the film rights to this beautiful novel.

So I’m going to start with quite a big statement and that is the fact Matt Haig is mostly definitely a master storyteller. So you could imagine my excitement in the fact this was the first book that I had read by him and that he has many other books that I can read in the future.

Throughout the whole of this novel Matt grasps and conveys the human nature just brilliantly. This book most definitely transports the reader to different places and times as well as this Matt manages to bring history alive with every page you turn. Throughout this novel it is easy to see that Matt has managed to create a story that has so many different meanings which also has some major themes such as time, love and storytelling.

How to Stop Time is such a touching book and with every page that you turn you can’t help but feel for the character of Tom. Tom is a man who has been alive in this world for hundreds of years however, he has never really been able to live the normal life that he has always craved and wanted.

Overall, How to Stop Time by Matt Haig is such a powerful novel about life that has beautiful prose, writing and honesty. It is most definitely a thought-provoking and easy read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves books about life, humans, time, love and storytelling.