HOW TO STOP TIME

released Out NOW!

336 pages | Hardback/ebook

Author Matt Haig

Publisher Canongate Books

For a novel that’s basically Highlander without all the decapitation, this is surprisingly fun. Admittedly, protagonist Tom Hazard isn’t immortal, but he is exceptionally long-lived – over half a millennium old when the book opens in the present day – and has the same commitment problems as Connor MacLeod, having watched the great love of his life grow old while he remained youthful. There are also lots of flashbacks. You can almost see the transition shots.

Despite the superficial similarities, there’s little else that connects How To Stop Time and Highlander. This is a charming, often dark, character-led story in which time only ever stops on a metaphorical level, with a kiss. Tom belongs to an organisation of the long-lived, who have been keeping their existence a secret by giving themselves new identities every eight years. They’re also searching for his long-lost daughter.

Tom’s observation of the trials, tribulations and ennui of a long life – and his ultimate realisation of what living really means – are woven into a witty novel packed with detail and historical celebrities. In fact, when the conspiracy plot does kick in over the last chapters, the book becomes a tad rushed and melodramatic. But this slight faltering does minimal damage to an otherwise beguiling novel.