How to Stop Time
 First edition (UK) | |
| Genre | fantasy fiction, romance, history |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Canongate Books (UK) Penguin Books (US) |
| Publication place | UK |
| Pages | 352 |
| ISBN | 9780525522898 |
How to Stop Time is a historical fantasy novel by English writer Matt Haig, published in June 11, 2019 by Penguin Books.
Plot summary
Tom Hazard is a high school history teacher who has just moved back to London. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but due to a rare condition, he has been alive for centuries. Tom was born in 1581 in France and has lived history alongside famous historical characters such as Shakespeare, Captain Cook, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Now, he just wants an ordinary life.
As the story unfolds, Tom has to decide whether to remain stuck in the past, or finally begin living in the present, while constantly being under the supervision of the Albatross Society, the secretive group which claims to protect people like him.
Reception
How to Stop Time received starred reviews from Booklist[1] and Publishers Weekly,[2] as well as positive reviews from The Guardian,[3] NPR,[4] The Washington Post,[5] and Kirkus Reviews.[6] It was named a bestseller by The Los Angeles Times.[7] The book also landed on IndieBound's Indie Next List February 2018 and Summer 2019.[5]
NPR considered How to Stop Time "a meditation on the tick and tock of time and mortality."[4] The Guardian reviewer said, "The energy and zip of this book are hard to resist."[3]
Despite the above, the book received mixed or poor reviews from The New York Times,[8] The Los Angeles Times, and PopMatters.[5]
Writing for the The New York Times, English writer Clare Clark compared the book unfavorably to Matt Haig's previous book The Humans. According to Clark, while "The Humans was warmhearted, sharply observed and often laugh-out-loud funny, funny enough to forgive Haig’s alien his regrettable fondness for fortune-cookie philosophy,... [How to Stop Time left] the reader craving some of the sharp-edged black humor that made The Humans such a delight."[8]
Los Angeles Times' reviewer Chelsea Leu reviewed the book poorly, writing, "Hendrich is a physical manifestation of Tom’s fears of attachment and vulnerability, though he’s more comic book villain than sensitively rendered character."[5]
Adaptation
The film rights to the book have been acquired by Benedict Cumberbatch's production company, SunnyMarch.[9]
References
- ^ Cart, Michael (15 November 2017). "How to Stop Time". Booklist. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Fiction Book Review: How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. Viking, $26 (336p) ISBN 978-0-525-52287-4". Publishers Weekly. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Eyre, Hermione (5 July 2017). "How to Stop Time by Matt Haig review – a high-concept romance". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ a b Sheehan, Jason. "Immortality, Sadness and Drinking with Shakespeare in 'How to Stop Time'". NPR. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d "How to Stop Time: A Novel". IndieBound. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "How To Stop Time". Kirkus Reviews. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Bestsellers". Los Angeles Times. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Clark, Clare (16 February 2018). "What Would It Be Like to Be 400 Years Old?". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ "Benedict Cumberbatch Prepping 'How to Stop Time' With StudioCanal". Hollywood Reporter. 14 March 2017.