Sad and Depressing!

How to Stop Time – Matt Haig

Science fiction, fantasy, fiction.

Rating 4/10

Tom is a man with a rare condition where he ages slower than most. Since this condition exists only with a group of individuals, Tom has lived nowhere for too long and has lived through history, being a part of history. Tom recollects the times in which he has lived and the memories. Tom misses his mother and his daughter whom shares his condition and has yet disappeared, leaving Tom wanting to find her. Tom was relocated by the society back to his hometown in England to be a history teacher at a high school. When he sees the French professor, he instantly is falling for her, but he must remember the one rule he must obey, never fall in love at all. Love can be risky especially since Tom’s condition allows him to slowly age unlike other humans. Tom finds out he knows where his daughter is and must top reminiscing the past and finally live in the present.

I genuinely do not how to feel about this science fiction novel. It felt all over the place personally. Too much reflecting on the past rather than the now of the story. It may seem like a purpose to tell about the character’s long agonizing past, but it never fitted in with the plot of the story. This novel would be better if there were organized time skips. The other issue that I had with this novel is that this character’s life, Tom’s, was utterly depressing. One would think if a man lived so long, he would have had more exciting stories to tell. Anyways, overall this novel was mediocre for what this novel is, given that it is science fiction.