How to Stop Time
by Matt Haig
4 stars
“Sometimes things are a change for the better and the worse at the same time, like the internet. Or the electric keyboard. Or pre-chopped garlic. Or the theory of relativity.”
Tom Hazard is over 400 years old. He was born in 1581. He went through puberty very early and aged faster than most of the boys his age. Since puberty…not so much. Due to an unknown condition, Tom ages approximately 15 times slower than normal human beings. So even though he is 437, he looks about 41. He has sailed with Captain Cook, worked with Shakespeare, and had a cocktail with F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Parts of the book are almost depressing. With the ability to view humanity through the centuries, Tom becomes disillusioned with people making the same mistakes over and over again. Other parts were much more hopeful, as Tom finds things and people to enjoy throughout his centuries. There is a society that protects people like Tom. The society provides funds and new identities every 8 years to help them avoid detection…in exchange for the occasional favor.
Read-alikes
The Rain Watcher by Tatiana de Rosnay
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
