“How to Stop Time” by Matt Haig
A book about a man who does not die. He is not happy about it.
Those close to me often frown in puzzlement when I answer the question “Would you like to be immortal?” with an overwhelming yes. My rationale is often an innocent one. Who wouldn’t want to read books forever and ever?
Of course, immortality is just a pipe dream and one must remember that what gives meaning to life is that it ends.
But that doesn’t stop me from adoring literary characters who are immortal. Sandman is a strong instance of the same as are the several tropes of how utterly depressed and lonely immortality can truly be. The following video best captured that trope for me.
Having said that, the protagonist in this novel is not immortal. He just ages slowly. Very slowly.
A Blessing as a Boon
The tortured immortal seeking the release of death is a powerful trope of the genre. Having said that, the protagonist here is certainly not suicidal, he just lacks meaning in life.
Matt Haig is certainly apt at posing such a fantastical notion in the form of a well-disguised self-help book. He did it exceedingly well in The Midnight Library and here too I was able to fulfill my dream through the character. Of course, it is a bit of a stretch to see the protagonist flick through his past, especially one where he runs into Shakespeare. I couldn’t help but compare the version of the bard presented here to the one I fancied in Hamnet.
Perhaps I am too spoiled by the excellent Journey Through Time trope presented in Good Omens to be impressed by this, but what stood out to me was how difficult it is to remain undetected as a person who doesn’t age. The medical condition, for that’s what the book labels it, does far more damage than one could foresee.
“Too Old to Lie”
As Twilight has probably imprinted upon popular culture, when one doesn’t age, it becomes pretty noticeable fairly quickly. The same dilemma affects the protagonist and others like him, inducted into the Albatross Society. Quite pompously the founder of the society labels “normal” human beings to be mere Mayflies, referring to how transient their existence is in comparison.
Of course, the difficulty is appalling. As an Albatross, one has to keep relocating and reinventing one’s identity every decade or so, with meaningful connections out of the question. In this regard, the protagonist choosing to be a history teacher who teaches it “as if he was there” certainly makes for powerful dialogue.
But perhaps my favourite instance from the novel emerges from a short chat the protagonist has with another Albatross, one who is far older and is on the cusp of dying and just happens to be a lesbian. When the protagonist pleads her to be quiet and not reveal the reality of her not aging, she simply replies “I am too old to lie. I am tired of being told that one can’t talk about who one is and that it is dangerous.”
The metaphor seeped deep.
You do not have to be immortal to like and share this newsletter. Trust me, I have tried. I would suggest you catch up on older posts as I hope to get my reading back in shape and post more regularly.