How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
Boring 500-Year-Old Tom
I was eagerly anticipating reading The Midnight Library, so I decided to start with this book first. However, I’m really hoping it’s better because this one left me feeling disappointed. How can a 500-year-old individual, who has had experiences with Shakespeare and Captain Cook, be so uninteresting? The premise of people aging slower, roughly 15 years to every one year for normies, intrigued me, and this story revolves around Tom, one such extraordinary individual. Despite such a promising setup and a relatively realistic journey through time, reading this book felt like an excruciating task.
Let’s begin with the positives: the book provided a fascinating glimpse into various eras as the narrative hopped through different times. The writing style had its moments of philosophical depth, although it might have been a bit excessive for my taste. If you enjoy a book that dances around the concept and implications of extended life, this might appeal to you.
Now, let’s explore the negatives: the conversations between characters lacked authenticity, feeling stilted and devoid of a natural flow. The biggest issue lies with Tom and the overall story; both turned out to be rather mundane. Perhaps the intention was to portray Tom as an ordinary individual, but this approach drained much of the story’s excitement. Most of Tom’s narrative seemed to dwell on the downsides of his long life, making it obvious that he hasn’t truly been living since the tragedies of his youth. Unfortunately, this drained the vibrancy from much of the tale. Additionally, the big climax left me scratching my head; parts of it were apparent, yet it didn’t fit well, and it failed to capture my interest. Furthermore, there was a lack of focus on romantic elements, leaving any chemistry to happen off the page, which made the ending triumph feel rather underwhelming.
Overall, I struggled to get through this book. It was decent, but the disappointment was significant. I believe some of this disappointment was intentional, perhaps to force introspection on what makes living worthwhile and to address themes of grief and living on in memory. Nonetheless, the book came across as somewhat lackluster. If you’re still interested in experiencing it for yourself, you can find the book by clicking the link below.
