'How To Stop Time' by Matt Haig

'How To Stop Time' front cover

'How To Stop Time' by Matt Haig - Review

*There are NO spoilers in this review!*

Description:

Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old history teacher, but he's been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz-Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen it all. As long as he keeps changing his identity he can keep one step ahead of his past - and stay alive. The only thing he must not do is fall in love.

Goodreads Rating: 3.84        My Rating: 4.00

First Impressions

I first stumbled upon 'How To Stop Time' in the book section of my local Morrisons, and immediately fell in love with the front cover! Usually there are lots of recipe books, biographies, or children's stories so this one jumped straight out at me for being so unlike the rest - I'd hit the jackpot! The design on the front is so beautiful in a minimalist kind of way as it has all of the main aspects of the book rolled into one. Straight away I began thinking about how Tom must feel trapped as time for him has frozen, yet for everyone else it remains the same (the finished hourglass contrasting the withering rose). On the back of the book, the blurb almost makes it seem as though it could be quite young in the way it is written since it matches a lot of other young-adult or teen coming-of-age novels I have seen before, however, I couldn't have been more wrong!

The first few chapters give an idea into the type of person Tom is and his inability to age the same way as everyone else, but at the same time leaves room for more questions about his extraordinary life! I loved the way small bits of information were drip fed to the reader, so that I could learn lots of new information at a slower pace rather than everything all at once. I caught myself thinking about what kinds of experiences Tom would have had in different eras before getting to read about them, but also reflecting on how I might have acted in those periods of time too! The Suffragette movement as an example: would I have been one of the women meeting on Old Ford Road to campaign for women's rights? Along with being so intrigued by Tom - somewhat enchanted by his wisdom and charm - there was also a tiny sinister feeling, mostly regarding Hendrich and his seemingly dodgy deal to help Tom live the life he wants in return for something himself. I couldn't shake off the idea that he could not be trusted and something bad was going to happen!

The Author

Matt Haig was really able to convey Tom in an authentic way to make his story believable, which I'm super impressed with since it seemed far-fetched at first - a four-hundred-and-odd year old man? Pshhh, yeah right! However, really quickly into the book, Tom was brought to life and all doubt was forgotten! Also, the way the novel is set out made it much more accessible for people who can be overwhelmed by bigger books or prefer to spread out how much they read at one time. I read each part at a time and really took my time to understand the details and events rather than zooming through it all at once! Every part has 'chapters' within it too, so you can split up how much you read at one time even more!

I mentioned earlier about the writing style not being very ''young'', but it fit Tom perfectly! I can only applaud Matt for being able to represent this character so well with his maturity, but still being extremely engaging. Sometimes an author's writing style doesn't fully mold with the characters in the novel, but this wasn't the case here so I would LOVE to read some more of Matt's books to see how he uses this skill in different scenarios!

Tom Hazard

Right from the get-go, the protagonist in this book had something really charming about him: the way he carried himself, the way he spoke, the wisdom he had! I specifically loved the way his vulnerabilities were portrayed in a natural way so that the reader could form a bond with him by understanding what he had to go through to get to that certain point in his life. Throughout the course of the book, I gained so much respect for Tom and began to feel oddly protective of him! He was so complex, but so easy to follow at the same time!

One aspect of Tom's character I liked a lot was that despite having this inhuman condition, he was human. He made mistakes, he learned from them, and then used that to become a better person. He had so much love and care for others, especially his family and close friends, which is such an honourable trait to have! As the reader, I got to go on loads of different journeys with him and learn so much as if I were there too! Overall, Tom Hazard was such a likeable character through his flaws and really makes you think about your own life and living it to the fullest. 

Final Thoughts

Finishing this book was a little bit bittersweet. It was quite heart-warming and I was so pleased for Tom - I really do have a soft spot for him - but I couldn't help asking more questions about what was to come! I suppose the future is unknown and the whole point was to live in the present, but I, personally, would have liked some sort of idea about the events to come!

Conclusion

'How To Stop Time' was such an engaging read as someone who loves history, romance, drama - the whole lot! Any assumptions I had made before starting to read it were mostly debunked, so I was pleasantly surprised and enthralled in this book since I couldn't make any predictions! Matt Haig created such a compelling and endearing character out of something seemingly unbelievable, which I really admire. 

I completely recommend this book if you haven't read it yet! There are lots of themes embedded within the story, as well as being digestible for different reading styles (you might be an all-in-one-go reader, or a one-step-at-a-time reader)! I believe that the life lessons that Tom had to learn from will make me reflect on my own decisions and actions from now, instead of just forgetting the novel and the messages it is trying to send...

Let me know what you think! :)