Review: The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

Editorial note: I received a copy of The Life Impossible in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig is a heartfelt and adventurous tale that combines magical realism with additional sci-fi elements too.

Reading a Matt Haig book is like receiving a warm hug from a loved one. There’s so much kindness and empathy, and truth, in his writing. He truly cares about the characters, and while they go through some of the worst emotional pain, he always brings it back to full circle that people are human and make mistakes. Life is precious, and no matter your age or circumstance, while you’re living, it’s never too late to live your life and have a second chance.

I adored The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, which I read during the height of covid. I believe it was the perfect book for the moment. As we were facing an uncertain future, it was easier to look back at the past. And I think most people have had a what if moment—what if they had made a different choice? How would life be different? That’s what the book explored and it resonated with so many people.

But with huge success, comes a lot of responsibility. And while Matt Haig is known for writing books quickly he took a big break. For the follow-up, he decided to focus on a place that has a complicated history for him—Ibiza. For more about Matt Haig and his journey, check out this interesting New York Times interview.

What’s the Story About

This time his protagonist is a 72-year-old English widow who has experienced unimaginable grief and loss. But when she inherits a house in Ibiza from an old friend, a new adventure awaits.

She books a one-way ticket, and has no plan. Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, 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.

Grace’s Journey

The Life Impossible is one of my most-anticipated books of the year. So I went in with huge expectations. And to be honest, it took me a bit to get into the story. I was definitely wondering where it was going, as there’s a lot of initial reflection about Grace’s painful past.

But we have to know this past in order to know who Grace is and what she needs to overcome. So once that eventually clicked for me, the story flowed for me much better. I think I was just a bit thrown off by the protagonist, the dark past and the hints of a sci-fi influence. But it all does come together quite well.

Grace felt like an extremely realistic character. She’s someone you would pass by possibly not noticing her while looking at the produce aisle, as she kind of just blends in. She doesn’t want attention and doesn’t feel she deserves good things because of choices she made in her past. It’s quite sad and probably not a rare feeling of some people in their 70s and above. They may feel time has left them, and it’s too late for any sort of change.

But The Life Impossible, while it’s a fantasy tale, it really does serve the reminder that it’s not too late—you still can heal and forgive yourself, and embrace joy again. Truly very profound.

You’ll see why Grace needed to be the star of this novel.

I also need to point out that Matt Haig wrote this story from the perspective of Grace writing an email to her former student who came to her for help and advice. In doing so, she decided to reveal her big adventure. I don’t usually like the letter writing style for storytelling. But it ended up being fine, and didn’t take away from the larger story.

The Adventure

I found The Life Impossible to be an exciting adventure story. It takes magical realism and becomes best friends with sci-fi, and even a bit of fantasy thrown in. But all within the framework of the literary contemporary fiction writing style. Sci-fi and fantasy are not my genres of choice, but somehow Matt Haig makes it work for me.

One moment there’s talk about the life beyond Earth, and the next minute Matt Haig writes a truly profound section about how we all need each other.

But it definitely gets rather out there and dare I say, even weird and bizarre at times. It was not what I expected at all for Grace, but I ended up enjoying the ride. As I mentioned, I had a slow start with it but I’m glad I stuck with it.

I still prefer The Midnight Library, however, this is a very solid follow-up.

Verdict

While it was a slow start, this became such a moving tale. It covers so much: grief, loss, acceptance, found family, Ibiza’s complicated past and present, impacts of tourism, mistakes, second chances, and more.

This is another great fit for book clubs, just like The Midnight Library. You all will have so much to discuss and talk about.

For book clubs, check out my discussion questions here.