A Book A Week

Meeting expectations is a challenging feat, especially when those expectations are sky-high. While anticipation signals past success, the pressure to surpass it can be overwhelming. That’s the situation Matt Haig faces with his latest release. His 2020 novel, The Midnight Library, was a runaway success, capturing readers' hearts with its imaginative tale of a woman exploring alternate lives through a magical library. The book struck a chord during a time of collective uncertainty, and even when I read it in 2022, it left a lasting emotional impact on me. Now, with Haig’s new novel, The Life Impossible, the anticipation is palpable, setting the stage for Haig to try to deliver on an already high bar. 

Retired math teacher Grace Winters finds herself slipping deeper into grief and loneliness. Years ago, her life was shattered when her 11-year-old son died in a tragic accident, leaving her emotionally scarred and disillusioned. Though she managed to finish her teaching career, retirement has brought little peace. The recent death of her husband has left Grace with no family, no purpose, and no reason to face each new day.

Out of the blue, Grace learns that her former colleague Christina, with whom she had lost touch, has passed away and inexplicably left her a crumbling house on the coast of Ibiza. With nothing to lose, Grace boards a one-way flight to Spain to untangle the mystery of this unexpected inheritance. Upon arriving, she’s confronted with more questions than answers. Having spent her life relying on the structure and logic of mathematics, Grace must now embrace uncertainty and take risks to uncover the truth behind Christina’s bequest and perhaps find a new direction for her own life.

In The Life Impossible, Matt Haig attempts to recapture the magic that made The Midnight Library successful. The familiar elements are there: a protagonist at her lowest point, a life-altering encounter with someone from her past, and a touch of magical realism, all designed to convey a message about the beauty of life's uncertainties and the possibility of redemption. These ingredients should create a moving and impactful story, but sadly, the novel falls short of this promise. The central conceit—the entire book being a 300+ page letter from the protagonist, Grace, to a former student struggling with depression—aims to inspire, but the message feels unclear. The narrative veers in different directions, shifting between themes of personal discovery, mystery, and environmental activism without fully committing to any of them.

The disjointed narrative makes for an uneven read, with no clear emotional throughline or character development to anchor the story. Grace feels more like a vessel for the book’s redemptive message than a fully developed character. While the ending is logical, it lacks the emotional resonance that Haig has previously delivered. Ultimately, The Life Impossible falls short of the high bar set by The Midnight Library, leaving this reader feeling more disappointed than moved.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2024, 66)