Matt Haig
Just like "Lily", my previous read, this one was a paperback my sister bought last year at The Little Ripon Bookshop. And just like "Lily", I enjoyed it very much - even more so, but on a different level.
Again, similar to "Lily", there was sadness and humour, love and violence. But unlike Lily's story, which could have really happened exactly like that, "How to Stop Time" could not (as far as I know!).
You may have heard of a rare disease that makes some people physically age very fast. It is called progeria, and you can read about it on wikipedia. In this book, the main character (and several others) have the opposite - they age very slowly. For instance, Tom Hazard looks to be in his early 40s, but he is well over 400 years old.
His condition is much more a curse than a blessing. As soon as the people around him become aware of something being "odd" about him, prejudice, superstition and fear come to the surface. In previous centuries, people would think of him as someone who's in with the devil. In our more scientific-minded times, he'd be of great interest to companies and institutions who work on finding the formula for "eternal" youth.
Therefore, Tom not only loses those he cares for (because they age normally and die way before him), but he also has to keep moving, never settling in one place for too long, if he does not want to endanger himself and those close to him.
Eventually, he learns that there are others like him. Can they protect each other? Is their approach to never love someone he way to go about their long, long lives? Or is there a way out, a way that allows them to lead happy, more or less ordinary lives without risking too much?
Matt Haig manages to take readers through different periods of history and different places without confusing them. His characters come alive, and I found myself really caring about Tom Hazard and some of the other cast. And while knowing that Tom's story is a product of the author's mind, it is all credible, and I was able to relate to many of Tom's thoughts, ideas and decisions.
I believe everyone has an individual relationship with time - with our own past, present and future; what our memories mean to us, and how different "time" can feel at different... erm... times. This book captures a lot of that, and maybe that is the main reason why it touched me on a deeper level than, say, "Lily" did.
The author's website is here. It was the first time I read a book by him, but can imagine reading more.
In another life or time you would have excelled as a publisher's reader.
ReplyDeleteWhen Gordon Lish edited the fiction pages of Esquire, he spent most of his time in the storeroom where unsolicited manuscripts were dumped.
He discovered promising writers in the so-called Slush Pile.
Lish advised young writers to write about what frightened them.
Progeria would come under that category, wouldn't it ?
Your summary deals sensitively with the theme of Matt Haig's novel.
Hazel Wade, my teacher at Saint Pius X School in Glasgow, told us about progeria because it was in the news; she also gave us a haunting lesson on Helen Keller.
Incidentally, Esquire no longer publishes fiction and Gordon Lish is a recluse.
I am sure Mr. Lish would like How To Stop Time.
Jack Haggerty
Jack, I would absolutely LOVE to work in publishing - be it as an editor or in any other capacity. For years I worked at a small printer/publisher of weekly newspapers for small communities; my part was the layout of advertising pages, but more often than not, I also helped with editing and proof-reading. I enjoyed the work as such even though it was very stressful with hard and narrow deadlines to meet on a daily base.
DeleteOne of the legacies of those years is that I find it really hard to generously overlook errors in grammar and spelling. Such errors trigger red ink in my mind, seriously diminuishing what could otherwise be a pleasant reading experience.
When I catch myself making errors, I often go back to correct them - but not always, especially not when I have been typing on a mobile device and don't have much time.
You write so well in a second language (mine) which makes me think of
DeleteJoseph Conrad and Nabokov.
Conrad's English is austere and pure while Nabokov's English is an audacious
re-invention, a glittering and hilarious new toy - read Pale Fire.
As for typos, I always notice them too. Proofreaders must sleep on the job.
Untold Day And Night, a short novel by Bae Sua, has deliberate typos.
Worth checking out.
JH
Proofreading is not done anymore. Mostly, people rely on Microsoft's (and others') in-built spelling checkers. I mostly switch them off, because they often produce false positives or do not recognise errors in line breaks.
DeleteProofreading costs money, as does editing. For both jobs, often someone is asked to "have a quick look" over any body text before it goes to print. And when errors are pointed out later, the answer is often "yeah, but nobody else notices. And it's clear what is meant."
That's a great review, Meike, and I was happy to see that my library carries the book so I have placed a hold on it. I am always so glad to get a good recommendation from you. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome, Ellen - I love it when someone picks up on my reviews and reads a recommended book, too. Let me know what you think when you've read it, please!
DeleteThis sounds really interesting, Meike. I'm going to look for it and see if it might be of interest to my book club. We still have several open slots for the rest of this year in need of suggestions! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly a good choice for a book club. They even have a short list of questions for book clubs printed in the back, and a mini Q&A with the author.
DeleteI read this a few years ago and enjoyed it greatly. Funnily, I mentioned it in a comment of Rachel's blog a few day's ago in saying how having done different things at different times in different places sometimes makes me feel as if I've led several unconnected different lives.
ReplyDeleteThat's really funny! I am not a daily reader of Rachel's blog and therefore have not seen your comment.
DeleteThere is one rather (but not totally) unconnected part of life in my past, but mainly, everything I've done (job-wise or other) has influenced in some way what I did afterwards. And I simply have not lived in that many different places - only three within my hometown, where I was born, and three other places between the ages of 0 and 6.
It sounds like a more grown-up treatment of living forever than Tuck Everlasting, but a similar theme.
ReplyDeleteNot being familiar with Tuck Everlasting, I can't say; but when at first I was sometimes reminded of Benjamin Button, this book touches on the great topics of love, life and the passage of time in a different manner.
DeleteI thought it a great coincidence when seeing this post because Tasker had just mentioned the book on my blog. I had to tell him I had never heard of it, nor Matt Haig. I don't think it is my kind of book.
ReplyDeleteI‘ve had it on my to-be-read pile for months, and at first wasn‘t quite sure what to make of it. But as I said in my review, it did touch me, and in my mind I keep going back and think about certain passages.
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