How To Stop Time is, quite simply, an enchanting and satisfying book. It's not exactly a time travel story, in the same way that The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August isn't either, and while the way it jumps around between various periods in the main protagonist Tom Hazard's very long life is reminiscent of The Time Traveler's Wife, How To Stop Time is very much its own book, and a unique piece of writing.

Tom Hazard looks like a fairly ordinary forty-something history teacher at a London comprehensive school, but his rich knowledge of the last few centuries of history make the subject come alive so vividly for his pupils because he's actually several hundred years old and has lived through it. In some ways this is great, as Tom has been able to be many different people over the years, experiencing a rich and varied life, but the one thing he hasn't been able to do is fall in love, as he ages just one year for everybody else's fifteen.

To have lived so long also means that Tom has had centuries to ruminate on the people he has lost along the way, and here is where Matt Haig shines in having everyday things trigger memories in Tom that take us right back to his childhood and to many other times and places in his long life.

To say much more would be to deny the reader the opportunity to discover the beauty of How To Stop Time for themselves, but I can say with certainty that it is a joy to read, and a book that I know I will revisit every few years for the rest of my own (considerably) shorter life.

Matt Haig's latest novel is about a man who has lived for over 400 years but only looks 40, because he has a condition in which he only ages one human year every 15. 

Naturally, Tom Hazard, is concerned about how social intolerance means his condition could be a danger to him and those around him. He eventually joins a secret society designed to protect those like him and the rules are that he must change his life every 8 years and he can never fall in love. 

However, after 400 years Tom has his own agenda - looking for his daughter who has the same condition. Like anyone else Tom must overcome his fear of the future, of wearing his heart on his sleeve and of all the things that make him human. While he may have met Shakespeare and F Scott Fitzgerald, making this book a Literature lover's dream, he still has to learn the very human lesson of what it means to live. The story is well told, flashing back to moments from Hazard's life as the memories affect him.

Haig could have told a linear story but the book is all about memory, Tom's memories and how they intersect with history. As a modern day history teacher, he brings history to life - pointing out that history was lived experience not just facts from text books. While some moments pulled from the past have potential to be cringe-worthy, for example, the depictions of Shakespeare, they are executed well - clearly well researched and written with the perfect balance of sincerity and frivolity to make the book light-hearted but also incredibly meaningful. 

How to Stop Time is sci-fi for people who love romance, and historical fiction for those who love the present. It doesn't fall neatly into any of these genres but pulls bits from each. The book is funny, framing the present of smartphones and selfies from the view of a man who lived in Tudor London. It is also heartwarming - exploring themes of love and life which affect all of us, even when we don't live for hundreds of years.

It is also profoundly sad as books of this nature often are but it carries so much meaning and joy that in some way this is ok. We know that Tom will outlive anyone he falls in love with, we know he may be persecuted, or else have to live in secrecy and we know that the future is still as scary as ever. However, How to Stop Time shows us that just living in the present and filling our lives with love and happiness, despite what the future may hold, could make even 400 years worth living.

I already love Matt Haig, but I also love stories with a 'time' element so this really was a dream come true sort of book - I read it in two sittings (which with 4 kids is no mean feat...) it's just a wonderful story, beautifully told. The characters are sympathetic and engaging, the story line, although complex, is easy to follow with sensibly titled chapters. It's an amazingly sensory book using lots of very descriptive language you help you imagine the wide range of times and environments throughout the story. The number of famous people Tom meets becomes a bit unlikely, but I didn't care because the flow of the narrative is so perfect. It's a great book, well written and I will be telling everyone so x

Fabulous concept, inventively explored. I loved this new and different take on time travel, and dipping into the different historical periods.

I loved How To Stop Time. I hadn't read Matt Haig before so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was completely engrossed; I found it entertaining, gripping, funny and touching and it has left me with lasting impressions and a lot to think about.

The premise sounds rather well-worn and dodgy; Tom Hazard was born in the late 16th century but has a condition which means he ages very slowly, so that by the present day his body is in its early 40s. The first thing to say is that this is emphatically *not* yet another book about what it might mean to be undead; it is a book about what it means to be alive. It's a cracking story, beautifully told. We get stories of Tom's life from the time of Shakespeare, of 1920s Paris and so on, interwoven with the present day when he has become a history teacher in a London comprehensive school, close to where he had a dearly-loved wife and daughter 400 years ago. Haig manages this brilliantly and also introduces a tense plot involving a society of people like him which may go to extremes to protect its members.

Tom has an ordinary life in many ways, but experiences far more of it than normal. We see the struggle to decide on a life's course, the pain of loss as those he loves die and the persecution of the "different," for example, and there are well-nuanced questions about what it means to live well; should we choose hedonism and self-preservation, or humanity, love and engagement with others, along with the pain it brings? There is real richness here, and I marked lots of passages which I liked – far too many to quote here. The whole thing is thoughtful and very touching in places but with a lovely sprinkling of wit and wry comments which made me smile (and actually laugh in some places) without ever interfering with the story or the serious points being made. I love the way he writes about love, the way he writes about history, the way he writes about music…and so on, and so on.

It is unusual for me to gush quite so much about a book, but I did think this was exceptionally good. I can recommend it very warmly indeed.

(I received an ARC via Netgalley.)

Tom, a man who is very, very old but has never really been alive! Despite living for 439 years Tom is very much still learning about life- he looks about 40 years of age and yet he's never really known another human being because of his Anageria- for every 15 years his body ages just 1! He is protected like others of his kind by the Albatross Society, headed by Hendrich, another very, very old man! He must for all the gifts that a long life has granted to him, NEVER FALL IN LOVE. The story goes back and forth through Tom's lives and leaves you feeling that the past really isnt so much a foreign country but mirror of the present! The book is almost profound in its message that life for whatever we make it, is a gift! This book has lingered and I have a feeling that it's gonna be a hit!!!

At once a series of crystal clear snapshots of history, and the tale of an ageless man trapped in an impossibly long life without the woman he loved or the daughter he lost. Tom is a history teacher. He is also cursed/blessed with anageria, a condition that slows his aging process to one year for every fifteen lived. Far from being the life of wealth and freedom we might imagine, he needs to change his identity every eight years to prevent anyone asking questions. A society 'helps' him in exchange for certain services, but more than that I cannot say for fear of spoiling this big hearted book about life and living that everyone should read.

The historical elements of this novel is what originally drew me to the plot line. it has added depth with the narrative surrounding the protagonists story.

How To Stop Time caught my imagination right from the start and I read it quite quickly, enjoying the trips through time. Tom’s condition is called ‘anageria’, in which, whilst he is actually ageing very slowly, he doesn’t appear to be getting any older. It’s the opposite of ‘progeria’ that causes a child’s body to age very quickly. It causes him problems, particularly in his youth in the late 16th century (he was born in 1581) when people suspected his mother of witchcraft. In more modern times the danger comes from scientists (the ‘new witch finders’) and their experiments to discover the nature and causes of anageria.

Tom tells his life story in flashbacks, switching back and forth in time between the present day and the past. His life is by no means uneventful, meeting amongst others Shakespeare, Richard Burbage, Captain Cook, and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. As a young man in Elizabethan England he fell in love with Rose and they had a daughter, Marion, who has the same genetic anomaly. He left his family to keep them safe and lost touch with Marion. It’s a fascinating book that succeeded in bringing the past to life and transporting me back in time.

How To Stop Time is not just a trip through time because overarching Tom’s story is that of the Albatross Society, whose members have the same condition as Tom, headed by the rather frightening figure of Hendrich. The conditions of belonging to the Society are that every eight years members have to carry out assignments and in return Hendrich helps them to change the identity and thus keeps them safe over the centuries. Tom, who by now just wants to live as normal a life as possible, has become reluctant to carry out the assignments but he carries on as Hendrich says he is close to finding Tom’s daughter, Marion.

It examines the nature of time, the fact that life is continuous and ever-changing, but emphasising that in reality you can only live in the present. Without being in any way moralistic, it demonstrates that life should be lived to the full each day.

As a lover of Matt Haig's book The Humans, I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of this. I already knew I would enjoy the writing style, but I did not expect to love the story as much as I wound up doing.
How To Stop Time is the story of Tom Hazard, an unusual man, with an incredible tale to tell. To put it simply, Tom has lived many lives, and his experiences in each are wound together to create a remarkable tale. Born in Elizabethan England, he notices that once puberty hits he seems to stop aging, and in an era where magic and witchcraft are widely held beliefs, it is not long before his strange condition begins to draw attention. Forced to flee, he sets out on a path that will take him through the ages, and across continents, encountering several famous faces along the way, and will also result in the single greatest sorrow of all his lives, when he is forced to abandon his wife and daughter for their safety. Although he encounters others who may be like him along the way, its not until the late 19th century that he finds a whole network, who will help him to survive, but at a cost.
Moving from the present day to the distant past and back again, the book flows ceaselessly and draws the reader along for the ride. While there may be a certain element of Forrest Gump style gimmickry in having Tom meet several famous historical characters, this really is not the focus of the story. Instead the real heart of the book lies in Tom's relationship with his daughter, his love and fear for her, and his ceaseless attempts to find her once it becomes clear that she shares his condition.
A wonderful book, and I thoroughly recommend it.

All the world’s a stage/And all the men and women merely players/They have their exits and their entrances/And one man in his time plays many parts …

How to Stop Time is British author Matt Haig’s latest novel, and a very interesting one it is, too. In the present day, Tom Hazard is a 40-something-looking man who has landed himself with the position of history teacher at a comprehensive school in Tower Hamlets. Despite not having any formal training, Tom is the perfect candidate for the position because, despite his looks, he is 439 years old. But, that is a secret that no one must ever discover.

The book jumps back and forth between the current time period and flashbacks to various events during Tom’s extensive past. Born in 1581, Tom has experienced a great part of British history and major events around the world. Constantly changing his name and identification, he moved around the world, switching locations whenever people began to get suspicious of his never-aging body.

After a couple of centuries, Tom met a man with the same condition as himself, who revealed that there were many people in the same predicament. Promising to be able to help keep him safe, the stranger coerces Tom into a union called the Albatross Society. There are many rules and conditions to follow, however, the most important advice is to never fall in love. Unfortunately, Tom has already done this.

In London 1623, Tom met the love of his life, Rose, who he eventually married and with whom he had a daughter. Although Tom does age, it is at the rate of one year every 15; therefore he eventually had to leave his family in order to keep them safe. However, his daughter Marion has inherited his condition and Tom spends his subsequent years trying to find her. With promises to help him on his quest, Tom reluctantly joins the Albatross Society, despite their questionable ways.

All Tom wants is to be able to lead a normal life, yet the narrative reveals how impossible this has been, both in the past and now in the present. From Elizabethan England to Elizabeth II’s reign, Tom lives through several monarchs, wars, colloquial changes, industrialisation, sanitisation of comestibles, and the introduction of digital technology. Without the added pressure of keeping his true identity disguised, it is very interesting to experience historical events through the eyes of the protagonist.

The ending, unfortunately, does not quite satisfy the growing excitement and interest of the rest of the novel. Important things happen too quickly, making it confusing to understand the main storyline. The majority of the story appears to only be setting the scene for the final couple of chapters, but as this is so fascinating, there cannot be too much complaint.

Presuming that Haig has done his research and that the historical periods are factually correct, How to Stop Time is as educational as it is entertaining. History lovers will enjoy reading about famous people such as Shakespeare and Charlie Chaplin, as well as getting an insight into the daily lives of past societies. Most importantly, Tom is a captivating character, who, despite having lived for four centuries, is still as socially awkward as the best of us.

How to Stop Time contains a fantastic concept about the progression of time and aging, but its most poignant point is the emphasis on finding and being you. Change is an inevitable certainty, as witnessed by Tom whose current world looks nothing like his memories. Although people must adapt to the on-going changes, living how you want is more important than adjusting to fit in with everyone else. In essence, do not be afraid to let the world see your true self.

This started out with a really pleasant tone, though there was a lot of 'telling'. Sometimes that can fit the story, putting background into context. It is not about time travel, as I presumed, but about a man who has a 'condition' that makes him very long lived, the opposite of the premature aging diseases we've all heard of.

Part of the story is about his quest to find his daughter who shares the condition, but he has much to learn from others of his kind. The story unfolds slowly in the first few chapters and blossoms into questions of the meaning of life and the importance of pleasures and especially of the power of music to move the soul.

I found myself captivated by the journey through time, seeing historic periods through Tom's eyes. He was a likeable character, though rather sad and world weary. The descriptions of what it was like to live through various times were believable and I enjoyed reading it very much.

A shock twist near the end didn't have quite the impact on me that I think was intended. I felt it was a little rushed and there was insufficient explanation of motivation. Apart from that, the story gave me a lot of enjoyment and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone with any interest in history at all.

Tom Hazzard is old, really old. But he looks to be in his early forties, and has looked like that for centuries, as he has a condition which stops him aging. Along the way he has lost people he loved, and now just wants a normal life. Does he get one?

This is a very fast=moving read, although I found the "present day" chapters more enjoyable, as Tom learns how to "go with the flow" of his unusual condition. A good summer read.

Owing to a rare condition, known as Anageria, Tom Hazard ages very slowly indeed. Born over 400 years ago he still looks around 41 years old. He still ages, just extremely slowly. He is benefitted by a very strong immune system, but eventually age related illness will occur as in any person.
Living for such a long time is deemed inherent with danger and so needs to be kept secret. This means travelling the globe, never staying anywhere longer than 8 years and changing your identity periodically so that no one could possibly be aware of you. It means also that you cannot love, ‘You cannot lay down the anchor.’ Ultimately you cannot lead an ordinary life, which is something Tom dearly craves, despite it bringing no guarantee of happiness. And so he returns to London in modern day times to work as a history teacher, having witnessed most things first hand!
Tom reflects upon the use of social media and the arrogance of certainty, the extent of ignorance, welcomed displays of compassion and the evolution of the use of language. Things in his current life send him back to memories in time and he recounts stories and events that resonate with the present. His personal accounts are very engaging and he convincingly describes things in such a way that you do believe, in these times he did live. From back when suspicions of witchcraft lead to innocent people’s death, to Shakespearian London, Paris and further, through a colourful life you learn more about the thoroughly interesting Tom and his quest to reunite with his daughter Marion.
Such as the book is described, it is a bittersweet story about finding yourself, the certainty of change and really learning to know how to live amidst this. Longevity makes life is no less confusing. It is stunningly observational and quipped with short and profound lines that resonate beyond the pages. Easy to read, intriguingly different, with a pleasant after burn. This is an exceptional blended piece of absorbing literary fiction, which Cumberbatch will soon be portraying in the film version.

A future classic - thoughtful and rather beautiful look at youth, life and the need to connect

In a cocktail of Highlander and The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, Haig's latest is a well-crafted science fiction-based tale of a man ageing slowly.

So slowly, he's been alive for centuries and still looks to be in his prime. Tom Hazard (not quite his real name) has lived through wars, through witch trials, through technological change.

There follows a look back at Tom's long life, his love for the long dead love-of-his-life, his thoughts of the changes to humanity. Tom has been everywhere, seen so much, but has a lonely life without love or family in it. Over time, he has found that there are others like him, that age at a vastly reduced rate.

Such an intriguing concept - to live beyond the normal scope of the human life span - for one person to live alongside William Shakespeare, Captain Cook and into the age of the Internet. How many people can say they've never wanted a longer life?

We vacillate between Tom's history - his story of childhood and discovering his ageing slowing, what this means for him in the fifteenth century - and his life today, working as a teacher, and searching for others around the world with his condition.

Like Claire North's 'Harry August', there is a secret society in Tom's world, one made up of the 'albatrosses' that live long lives among the everyday 'mayflies' of mankind. This hasn't been a problem until now, as Tom finds his defences broken down after centuries of interacting without emotion, when he feels an attraction towards a fellow teacher, and he may not be able to fulfil the role his society asks of him.

It's a story that binds you up straightaway. Tom is a part of history whilst being outside of it and a contemporary man. His perspective is refreshing and wryly funny, yet wise. I love the references Haig fits in:

"two teenagers lean against the wall, staring down at their phones as devoutly as old priests with prayer books"

"the first technology to lead to fake news wasn't the internet, it was the printing press"

The modern-day references are current and when tempered with historical context, very clever. And quotable.

Matt Haig impressed with 'The Humans', another sci-fi-esque story that discussed the nature of humanity. He has grown since then and constructed a clever, moving, exciting and classic-feeling story here that I think has the potential to stand the test of time itself.

Not many books offer quotes that the reader can cling to, that show truth. 'How to Stop Time' does just that, and is utterly memorable.

How about this for a line:
"you cannot know the future... you have to stop flicking ahead and just concentrate on the page you are on"

"whenever I see someone reading a book, especially if it is someone I don't expect, I feel civilisation has become a little safer"

Inspiring stuff. Wonderful book, great creation in Tom. Thoroughly recommend.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.

This is a thought-provoking book. The author takes you into various parts of Tom's life, forward and back, to the events that concern him most, to the background to his thoughts as he tracks his way around present-day London.  Tom's life being incredibly long, that takes us back to  the middle ages to meet his mother. Because Tom seems not to grow older, they convict her for witchcraft.  The memory of that event is something that haunts Tom, and I think the author does an excellent job of creating this fractured personality that has seen so much grief and sorrow, endured so much hardship.

The incidents or snapshots that we return to examine in Tom's past take us skipping through what I always enjoyed about history - the part about how people lived: the bawdiness of the original Globe Theatre, the horrific plight of factory workers; the stench of the tanneries beside the Thames, which was clogged with sewage right up until Victorian times, when the Great Stink finally forced Parliament to act, and got Bazalgette to design a wondrous underground sewage system (Bazalgette doesn't get a mention, but Paris's sewers do).  

The writing is vivid, absorbing, and unsettling.  On many occasions I wondered about the mysterious Heinrich who seemed to help Tom to shift his life into a new area, to start again before people became suspicious.  Then it settles as Tom finds some sort of peace—only for his driving force to return and the pace (and place) changes again.  The narrative runs through the snapshots, tying them together so I never got lost—or lost interest.  It is masterfully done.

It's a book that warrants time spent on it - time to read, time to reflect.  Whenever I paused, I was thinking about it; I was eager to get back to it. The story is not really time-travel, but it feels a bit that way. I think I marked it as historical fiction and scifi, although I see some have shelved it as fantasy and some as magical realism.  Whatever it is, it's engrossing.

It reminded me of Time Enough to Love, once one of my favourite scifi books. (It was the 70s and I wasn't old enough to care about the misogyny.) How to Stop Time also has some connection with The Time Traveller's Wife. And most especially, it reminded me of the sadness of losing beloved pets, whose lifespans are so much shorter than ours.  It came with a jolt to realise that the timespan Mr Haig has chosen for his hero - one year to fifteen of the 'normal' humans around him, is almost identical to the accepted ratio for my companion animals.  It put it all very painfully into context.  Yet it also brought some sort of healing, too.

Thought-provoking and involving.  How to Stop Time is a lively candidate for my book of the year. Read it.

What a refreshing different premise. A faction that's entertaining and informative. A history lesson by someone who should know!. Thought provoking,it raises the question -do we really want to live forever? A touching, heart-rending read.

How to Stop Time, is one of those books that you get to the end and then sit back trying to take in just what you have read. This is a powerful novel about life, and living. Two very different things.

The book is very touching, and you can’t help but feel for Tom, a man who may have been alive for many years but one who can’t live a normal life. Imagine never being able to get close to anyone, never being able to tell anyone about yourself, and then every eight years you have to become someone else and move far away to start all over again.

The book makes you think about your own life, the actions that you take, and the choices that you make. Life is a learning curve, and even Tom is still learning.

The story goes back and forth in time, as you travel with Tom through different periods of his life. You get to witness history thorough the eyes of the man who has lived it. You also get to see the mistakes that people have made, over and over again. Sometimes the past isn’t so different from the present.

There is an honesty in Matt Haig’s words. A rawness that touches you, and whilst giving you a heart-warming feeling, they can also send shivers down your spine. The way that he looks at life, and sees not only the good, but the horrors that are created is unique.

This is a book about not taking yourself, or anyone else for granted. It’s about accepting, and understanding that life is precious, and we are the chosen few to experience it.

Just to emphasis how good this book is, it hasn’t even been released yet, but the film rights have already been bought and Benedict Cumberbatch has signed up to play Tom. I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect to be able to fulfil the role.

This is such a different read ,how would you feel if you did not age and lived for centuries? It must be good and bad as the only rule is you must'nt fall in love .Tom was born in 1581 and has only loved once which broke his heart .This is a truly remarkable book beautifully written and a brilliant story proving that no matter how long we live we need to live for the now.

I like the premise of this book and I start of quite enjoying it but I'm finding it a slow burner and am not really eager to pick it up again. It isn't awful but it isn't holding my attention. The main character, Tom, just isn't interesting enough, despite being over 400 years old. I'm not sympathetic to him and don't feel like I've got to know him yes, s quarter of the way in. I'm afraid I'm going to give up on this one.