Viking Press
336 Pages
To be completely open here, I have loved virtually everything Matt Haig has written. I always look forward to grabbing one of his new releases in those rare moments when they’re on the “New Releases” shelf at the Lockport Public Library. Sometimes it’s hard to get Haig’s books when they first come out. Of course, when I saw The Life Impossible, I had to grab it. I will tell you that of his books that I’ve read, this was my least favorite, but I still loved it. That is a testament to how great his other works are.
Grace Winters is a retired teacher and she finds that she’s been left a house by one of her friends from much younger in life. She heads off to a Mediterranean island to take stock of what she’s been left by her long-lost friend. Recently widowed and recovering from Covid-imposed lockdowns, she needs to find a way to reconnect with fellow human beings. The letter about the house seems the perfect way to escape the doldrums that she’s feeling now that she’s alone.
What she finds in the tropical paradise is something that she can’t quite explain. She finds herself questioning her own past, attempting to come to terms with the loss of her son decades before, as well as her actions towards her late husband. She questions her decisions over the years and wonders if she is as good of a person as her former students believe she is.
Grace searches her own memories to help her understand her friend’s life. How did other people see Grace during all those years? Did her truth leak through the facade that she constructed for herself? All these questions about herself hopefully will help her uncover what drove her friend.
Matt Haig always writes rich characters that resonate with his reading audience. This time is no different, although the backdrop for this story distracts from this more than I would have liked. Haig’s improbable settings detract from the beautiful narrative that he was woven around his characters. Each person had their own, well-rounded character development with a unique voice. This is always one of my favorite aspects of Haig’s novels. He does not disappoint.
However, as I said at the beginning, this was ultimately not my favorite by Haig. Sometimes it’s hard to live up to the hype. Haig has been so good with his previous books, that this one didn’t live up to the rising expectations compared to those earlier works. They can’t all be winners, but this one would probably rank higher with me if his other novels if I had read this one first. Instead, I was left wanting more.
While I liked The Life Impossible by Matt Haig, I do not believe it is his best book. It will be a bit more to get into it than his other books. Maybe if you haven’t read anything else by him, this will be a better book for you than it was for me. I wouldn’t turn it down if it ends up in your hands.
Craig Bacon likes Matt Haig’s books. Even if he didn’t like this one as much, he will eagerly await Haig’s next novel.