Matt Haig is known for his poignant, emotional and often melancholy stories. If you’re a fan of Mitch Albom (author of Tuesdays With Morrie) and Jodi Picoult (author of My Sister’s Keeper), you would likely enjoy Haig’s work as well, as his stories evoke similar feelings in readers. The Life Impossible follows a 72-year-old British widow and retired math teacher on her journey after devastating losses and grief.
The Life Impossible: A Novel
Matt Haig released The Life Impossible to an established fan base on Sept 3rd. He had written his first novel, The Last Family in England, in 2004. Since then, he has written many bestsellers for adults and children. His published works have won numerous international bestseller awards, so his latest novel was anticipated worldwide. The story starts with retired math teacher Grace Winters, who inherited a house on the island of Ibiza.
The house was left to her by a friend named Christina, whom Grace had lost touch with years ago and had passed away. Barely living day to day after the death of her husband and still dealing with the unresolved trauma of her young son, Grace decides to buy a one-way ticket to Ibiza to find the house. Not knowing how Christina died or why she left Grace with the house, Grace decides to explore the island for clues.
Along the way, Grace encounters people on the island who knew Christina. Grace’s quest for answers turns into an adventure, sparking a renewed interest in life. Grace made new connections by meeting new people; the book became more than a story. It transforms into a philosophical lesson about never being too old or beyond hope of healing. As long as you are still alive, nothing in life is impossible.
Reviews of The Life Impossible
The New York Times praised the novel as “An odyssey of action and awe.” At the time of this writing, the title has rated 4.3 stars out of five on Amazon and 3.7 stars out of five on Goodreads. It made the New Times Bestseller list and has sold nine million copies worldwide. The consensus is that The Life Impossible is an instant favorite among readers and fellow writers alike. Readers feel a range of emotions while reading the story, some being moved to tears.
Lessons from the Book
Since the story’s protagonist is a retired math teacher, it makes sense that the narrative contains mathematical riddles intertwined with philosophy. This is a cerebral person’s book and could even be an excellent choice for a book club. The multi-layered narrative can serve as a spring point for hours of discussion. One passage of the book reads: “When you grieve someone, you see their message in everything.”
The main takeaway seems to be this: When a person stays in their comfort zone, even if it’s unhealthy, they tend to stay there because their comfort zone is familiar. With the character of Grace, we see that hers was grief, shame, suffering, and anhedonia (the inability to feel pleasure). Even though she was merely surviving and not living, it was familiar to her. As readers, we see Grace’s transformation out of that pattern.
Wrapping Up
The Life Impossible must be a bestseller for a reason—it evokes emotion and urges readers to look at life differently. Good stories make you feel emotion, and great stories change your entire outlook on life. Matt Haig has managed to do that with people worldwide through this novel. Of course, you can’t please everyone; some critics say the book is “trite,” but the numbers don’t lie. It struck a chord with enough readers to make it a bestseller.
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