The Life Impossible by Matt Haig is a strange and magical read scattered through with threads of mathematics and music. It is not quite like anything else I have read from this author before, and days after finishing it I still find myself thinking about it and trying to decide what to say about it. Largely written in the form of an email from a retired maths teacher to a former student, the book gets off to a less than ambitious or exciting start, with Grace, the central character of the story describing herself as having "the most boring life in the universe". This boring life is turned upside down by the death of a former colleague who has left Grace her house on Ibiza. Further investigation reveals that Grace's friend Christina disappeared one night while diving and her body has never been found. Determined to shake herself out of the rut she has fallen into Grace decides to travel to Ibiza and try to find out what happened that night, but in doing so she finds herself caught up in an ecological mystery and a campaign to save part of the island from a greedy hotel developer as well as facing up to the difficult moments in her past that have held her captive for decades.
The first word that springs to mind to describe this book is strange. If you do not like a little ( or a lot) of weird in your fiction you would probably be advised to steer clear of this one. I found that I struggled a little with this aspect of the book , especially at first but as the story unfolded and I let my self go with it, it bothered me less. The writing is beautiful and I often found myself highlight phrases and passages as I read. I loved Grace as a character , she had a warmth and scepticism that resonated with me and I loved to see her life expanding as she made new friends and came to terms with her past , after all "what looks like magic is simply a part of life we don't understand yet .."
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,









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What I love most about Matt Haig is you never know what you’re going to get. The whimsical nature of this book was magical but the messages underneath not only about how we choose to live our lives but also the way we interact with the world around us are anything but whimsical. This book is rooted in magical realism but it’s so richly colourful with the descriptions of Ibiza and the incredibly wonderful characters that you can forget it’s a story and just suspend belief momentarily to believe anything is possible.

The characters from Grace to Nostradamus you can’t help but fall in love with and root for. But I love most how his characters are true reflections of ourselves. Flawed, finding a way to make peace not just with what life has given us, but with the choices we have made on the way in our attempts to survive.

People are going to compare this to the Midnight Library and that’s unfair because this is so different but so deeply magical in a myriad of different ways. For me, I loved it and am glad we got a glimpse into Matt’s mind again and to dream with him about a Life Impossible.

This just wasn’t was for me (sadly as I really enjoyed The Midnight Library). I’d still recommend as part of ‘if you liked this, read this’ or if a customer at my library said they were in the mood for this type of book then I would recommend - this time just wasn’t for me.

Be prepared to journey into the unknown, open your mind to possibilities and believe in the power of otherworldliness. Written with Matt Haig's characteristic 'twinkle', The Life Impossible follows a grieving septuagenarian on a healing journey as she unexpectantly inherits a house in Ibiza,

Grace has lost a son and her husband, made small by a life now restricted to a bungalow in central England, her only comfort the familiar thrum and logic of numbers learnt from a career as a maths teacher. Following a letter detailing the death of a long forgotten colleague, Grace embarks on a journey to uncover the mystery of her friend's death, mingling with the strange collection of individuals entwined in her story.

By opening herself up to new possibilities, Grace is slowly able to lessen her guilt, accept what can't be changed and alter the path of her future, with a little help from the glowing fluorescent lifeform calling her from the depths of the Ibizan sea.

This book will envelop you in a world of wonder, risk and above all hope - beauty is to be found in the strangest places and the universe will heal those who are willing to share.

I liked this book, yet I found it dragged in parts. It's not my type of book and is quite out there. I couldn't describe what genre it is.

An absolutely stunning book that took my breath away as I was metaphorically picked up, floated on a cloud, and gently placed into a mesmerising and magical world in Ibiza.

This book has everything, from a mysterious disappearance, to a widowed 72 year old retired maths teacher rediscovering her zest for life, history and ecological preservation to other-worldly paranormal occurrences.

Everything that Grace Winters has believed in her 72 years is challenged. As a maths teacher, she firmly believes in science and that everything has a logical, scientific answer. but when she inherits a small house in Ibiza from a school friend she hasn't seen for decades, she can't resist the pull, her curiosity piqued.

The writing is totally immersive, as we have come to expect from Matt Haig and time just stopped for me as I was totally absorbed in the story.

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Matt Haig and Canongate for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Another winner from Matt Haig! Mr. Haig again shows he is a master of employing a magical realism element and incorporating it into characters’ lives that feel fully three-dimensional and real. I right contradict myself a little here when I say that perhaps in our own “real” lives, we don’t usually live through huge arcs in relatively short periods of time. But I love it when characters do in fiction, and live an arc Grace does here! If you enjoy reading an MC’s journey in which their perceptions and understandings are fully challenged and their decisions and lives change greatly, then you’ll enjoy The Life Impossible; if you enjoyed The Midnight Library, you’re very likely to enjoy The Life Impossible. And there are echoes, too, of How to Stop Time in terms of loneliness and the MC’s willingness to embrace or change that.

MC Grace is an interesting choice. I loved that Grace could be, say, 30 or her 70+ as she is here. Grief, loneliness, and lack of direction are issues most of us have faced to whatever degrees at some time or other, making Grace as appealing and relatable no matter her stage of life. But if you’re a little older than your 30s (as I am!), you’ll relate to grace even more deeply, I’d say.

Not quite as strong as The Midnight Library or How to Stop Time, which, for me, are modern masterpieces (and it is thus unfair to judge this novel against them), The Life Impossible is, nonetheless, a 5-star read, for me. Its themes of environmentalism, history, and “the simple life” standing up to rampant capitalism are very on point and told well. Set Grace’s amazing journey among those, and The Life Impossible is hard to resist.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Another amazing one from Haig, I adore his writing and am always swept away into his worlds. Grace is a retired teacher and is shocked when she is left a house in Ibiza, we follow her adventure of uncovering more about her friends life. As usual this book is full of big emotions and it will make you feel all the things.

The prose from Matt Haigh is utterly mesmerising.
He compares the life of 72 year old retired maths teacher Grace Winter to an empty crisp packet carried along by the rivers current. Instantly conjuring up images of hopelessness, loneliness and lack of direction. Wonderful but poignant.
The mix of mystic and magical on the island of Ibiza blends with the reminisces and regrets from Grace.
Beautiful.

Retired maths teacher Grace is surprised to have been left a house in Ibiza by a long lost friend. Curious, she travels to the island to find answers about her friend’s life and once there she discovers a strangeness beyond her own imagination.

I enjoy Matt Haig’s ideas and stories
as he always manages to create imaginative, captivating plots, with a lot of hope and depth at the centre. This novel follows this pattern and was a beautifully written, emotional story that really gives you pause for thought. With great characters and a magical setting, this managed to be completely original and creative. If you have read and enjoyed this author’s books before, you will be sure to be moved by this one also. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Below is the blurb

"What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet . . .
When retired Maths teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.
Among the rugged hills and golden beaches Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.
Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning."

I requested this book on my daughter's recommendation as she had just read The Midnight Library and I wasn't disappointed. Not my usual horror read but such as easy read with an element of scifi. The main focus of the story is not that though but about human interactions and a book more about appreciating life and living life to the full and not holding yourself back. Such a good read, will definitely be reading more by this author.

Another wonderful, life affirming book from Matt Haig. The character of Grace really resonated with me and her journey of discover and acceptance of things past was both funny and heartwarming. The evil property tycoon added a layer of menace to make sections of the book real page turners.
A strong message of hope, living for now and looking after the planet. I loved it.

Another thought provoking book from Matt Haig.
Grace is struggling with her life and no longer enjoys day to day living.
When she is left a house in Ibiza in an old friend’s Will, she decides to head out there and take a look.
The house is nothing special but Grace is intrigued by the letter her friend has left her in the house.
She goes off to meet a man called Alberto who Christina seems to have been close to, and after a late night dive, her life changes forever.
I won’t spoil what happens but Grace starts to see the world through different eyes and realises she is needed.
This is a heartwarming story that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Canongate for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a really life affirming read. It is sad in places touching on grief but it is also about embracing life and not letting it pass you by.

Retired teacher, Grace Winters, is left a cottage in Ibiza by an old friend and decides to make the trip to discover how her friend died.
I really wanted to like this book but it was overly didactic and saccharine sweet. It is full of sentimental whimsy and ‘be kind’ platitudes and I could not connect with it. It also has a fantastical element, and although I love this in Murakami’s writing, I didn’t think it worked here. I did not enjoy The Midnight Library either, so maybe the author just isn’t for me.
If you are a fan of the author’s previous works you may love this - it just didn’t work for me.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

When Grace receives a letter from an ex-student, Maurice, which mentions grief and an uncertainty in life, Grace decides to share her story with Maurice, and in doing so we get the magical story which is The Life Impossible.
Grace is struggling with life, she feels pleasure in nothing and is still grieving the loss of of her son Daniel, and the more recent loss of her husband and dog. When she receives a letter from a solicitor letting her know that she's been left a house in Ibiza by Christina, a woman she showed kindness to many decades before, she doesn't quite believe it. Surely is must be some kind of scam? But it turns out to be true and so Grace journeys to Ibiza to see this house. Once there she can't help but begin to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding Christina's death. Her search leads her around the island, to hippie markets, grocery stores and to Alberto, a diving instructor who had a connection with Christina. Grace simply thought she could take a holiday, but Christina and the island seem to have other ideas... What follows is the perfect blend of magic and reality, leading Grace past the certain and into a whole new understanding of her life and the world she lives in.


There's something about Matt Haig's writing that is almost rhythmic, for me when I pick up one of his books I find myself lost in the story almost instantly and don't realise that time is passing. I felt it with his non-fiction book Reasons to Stay Alive with The Midnight Library but strongest with this book. Once I was a few pages in it was as if I was being lulled into the story, with the sensation that I was almost being read to rather than doing the reading myself. There's also a gorgeous summery setting, and reading this in the August heat was the perfect combination. It lost itself a little in the last third in my opinion, but it's a lovely heartwarming book all about being present and grateful. A message I think a lot of people could benefit from.

A lovely book and one that I highly recommend if you're feeling a little lost in life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canongate Books for the eARC.

Matt Haig’s latest novel is like a sun-soaked escape with a twist of mystery and magic. When Grace Winters, a retired math teacher, inherits an old house on a Mediterranean island, she throws caution to the wind and heads to Ibiza. What begins as a simple quest for answers turns into an adventure filled with unexpected wonders and life-changing discoveries.

This book feels like a self-help guide wrapped in a heartwarming story, reminding us to embrace our flaws, forgive ourselves, and find beauty in the everyday. It's a charming mix of adventure, introspection, and a touch of the fantastical that leaves you feeling uplifted. Perfect for anyone in need of a little life-affirming magic!

Thank you NetGalley and Canongate for a Review Copy

This is a five-star read that will stay with you, honestly there was something about this story that encapsulated me, this is an odd story, and one that will leave you wondering in places until the full story unfolds and then you will have a sudden realisation, and the story unfolds in your mind like a flower. That’s the thing about this story, its not a standard plot or standard characters like we normally come across, its so much more. I don’t want to go into the story, as I will not do it justice, as the quality of the writing is just so beautiful. If you haven’t read this author before then please do, they have a unique voice that must be heard.

Life affirming, funny, moving, Haig does it again with a thought provoking tale of magical realism that urges us to value and look after every living creature and to live life to the full. I laughed out loud in parts and was genuinely moved in others. It's rather beautiful.