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The co-op bookstore for avid readers
The Life Impossible
Critic Reviews
Good
Based on 8 reviews on
The New York Times Bestseller "An odyssey of action and awe." --The New York Times "A wry and tender love-letter to the best of being human." --Benedict Cumberbatch The remarkable next novel from Matt Haig, the author of #1 New York Times bestseller The Midnight Library, with more than nine million copies sold worldwide "What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don't understand yet..." When retired math 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 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. Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.
Book Details
- Publisher: Penguin Books
- Publish Date: Sep 2nd, 2025
- Pages: 384
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 7.78in - 5.22in - 0.88in - 0.57lb
- EAN: 9780593489291
- Categories: • Women• Science Fiction - Alien Contact• Literary
About the Author
Matt Haig is the author of the international bestsellers The Life Impossible and The Midnight Library, along with four other novels, the renowned memoir Reasons to Stay Alive, and several award-winning children's books. His work has been published in fifty territories across the world.
Critics’ reviews
Praise for this book
Called by The New York Times a "love letter to life" and named a must-read book of fall 2024 from TIME Book Riot GoodReads Library Journal BookPage PEOPLE Parade SheReads Town & Country "A beautiful novel full of life-affirming wonder and imagination and, at its adventurous heart, a wry and tender love-letter to the best of being human." --Benedict Cumberbatch
"An odyssey of action and awe. . . a humble and genuinely lovely concept." --The New York Times "Grace's realization that everything on Earth is worthy of admiration and preservation is a message the whole world can get behind." --Associated Press "Haig's magnificent latest. . . In [his] sure hands, magic comes to breathtaking life." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Another inspiring page-turner. . . .an adventure-filled tale about the power of new beginnings." --Woman's World "Haig's wise and moving novel is both a mystery and a love story, a fantasy and a billet-doux to the planet. Perhaps its greatest gift lies in showing us that it is possible to dismantle the boundaries we have built, grasp the connections previously hidden, and appreciate life in all its richness." --Joanna Cannon, The Guardian
"If you're itching to extend your own summer vacation just a bit, we can't think of a better book to join you." --Town & Country "A pitched, swashbuckling battle between good and evil. . .With its glorious setting and appealingly quirky cast, The Life Impossible has terrific cinematic potential." --Christian Science Monitor "[A] wonderful book about climate change, aging, and recovering from guilt." --Book Riot "An instantly engrossing, page-turning delight. . . .well worth reading for anyone who wants a hopeful, warm, very human journey that crackles with magic." --BookPage "In a world that seems to be getting more unstable by the moment, Haig's novels are a steady ship in rough seas. . .the author's insistence on the power of connection to change lives comes through loud and clear." --Kirkus "Part mystery, part transcendental tale, that takes Grace on a redemptive journey inside nightclubs and the far reaches of Ibiza to the bottom of the ocean and worlds that lie beyond." --Goodreads "[A] wise, inspirational tale." --PEOPLE "Matt Haig will likely continue his streak of success with The Life Impossible. . . . a warm and inviting message. . . that will leave the reader filled with hope by the end." --Screen Rant "Readers can be excited about another deeply human story that reaches in and tugs at your heartstrings, beckoning you to believe in what's good and offering permission to love the parts of yourself you wish you could change, as Haig appears to strive to do himself." --SheReads "[Haig is] an expert at penning heartwarming, uplifting tales." --AARP "[A] fantastical exploration of grief, forgiveness, and second chances." --TIME "Haig's writing is as assured and appetising as ever." --Independent "A voyage of self-discovery and what it means to be human." --Mail on Sunday "Haig skillfully and humorously wraps a fantastical tale around his exploration of the transmorative nature of emotions as individuals connect with each other." --Library Journal "An insightful read about how it's never too late to start over." --Real Simple "Wise, thought-provoking and great on finding connections in unlikely places . . . The descriptions of the Spanish island are so lush and evocative . . . Wonderful." --Daily Mail "There's a magnificence to Grace's second act, a whizzing euphoria that feels contagious." --iNews "Matt Haig's latest novel is a remarkable heroine's journey, exploring the boundaries of forgiveness, grief, joy, and what it means to be human in a universe where we're not alone. I adored it." --J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest "Stunning. It's not only exquisitely written but has so much magic woven through it. A beautiful book for us all to get lost in." --Fearne Cotton, creator and host of Happy Place "I just meant to glance at the book, but it seized me and wouldn't let me go. Fabulous." --Joanna Lumley
"Okay, folks, buckle up. Matt Haig, the wonder, is back." --Lemn Sissay, poet and author of Let the Light Pour In "Weird and fantastical and lush and magical at once." --Hollie McNish, bestselling author of Slug
"An odyssey of action and awe. . . a humble and genuinely lovely concept." --The New York Times "Grace's realization that everything on Earth is worthy of admiration and preservation is a message the whole world can get behind." --Associated Press "Haig's magnificent latest. . . In [his] sure hands, magic comes to breathtaking life." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Another inspiring page-turner. . . .an adventure-filled tale about the power of new beginnings." --Woman's World "Haig's wise and moving novel is both a mystery and a love story, a fantasy and a billet-doux to the planet. Perhaps its greatest gift lies in showing us that it is possible to dismantle the boundaries we have built, grasp the connections previously hidden, and appreciate life in all its richness." --Joanna Cannon, The Guardian
"If you're itching to extend your own summer vacation just a bit, we can't think of a better book to join you." --Town & Country "A pitched, swashbuckling battle between good and evil. . .With its glorious setting and appealingly quirky cast, The Life Impossible has terrific cinematic potential." --Christian Science Monitor "[A] wonderful book about climate change, aging, and recovering from guilt." --Book Riot "An instantly engrossing, page-turning delight. . . .well worth reading for anyone who wants a hopeful, warm, very human journey that crackles with magic." --BookPage "In a world that seems to be getting more unstable by the moment, Haig's novels are a steady ship in rough seas. . .the author's insistence on the power of connection to change lives comes through loud and clear." --Kirkus "Part mystery, part transcendental tale, that takes Grace on a redemptive journey inside nightclubs and the far reaches of Ibiza to the bottom of the ocean and worlds that lie beyond." --Goodreads "[A] wise, inspirational tale." --PEOPLE "Matt Haig will likely continue his streak of success with The Life Impossible. . . . a warm and inviting message. . . that will leave the reader filled with hope by the end." --Screen Rant "Readers can be excited about another deeply human story that reaches in and tugs at your heartstrings, beckoning you to believe in what's good and offering permission to love the parts of yourself you wish you could change, as Haig appears to strive to do himself." --SheReads "[Haig is] an expert at penning heartwarming, uplifting tales." --AARP "[A] fantastical exploration of grief, forgiveness, and second chances." --TIME "Haig's writing is as assured and appetising as ever." --Independent "A voyage of self-discovery and what it means to be human." --Mail on Sunday "Haig skillfully and humorously wraps a fantastical tale around his exploration of the transmorative nature of emotions as individuals connect with each other." --Library Journal "An insightful read about how it's never too late to start over." --Real Simple "Wise, thought-provoking and great on finding connections in unlikely places . . . The descriptions of the Spanish island are so lush and evocative . . . Wonderful." --Daily Mail "There's a magnificence to Grace's second act, a whizzing euphoria that feels contagious." --iNews "Matt Haig's latest novel is a remarkable heroine's journey, exploring the boundaries of forgiveness, grief, joy, and what it means to be human in a universe where we're not alone. I adored it." --J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest "Stunning. It's not only exquisitely written but has so much magic woven through it. A beautiful book for us all to get lost in." --Fearne Cotton, creator and host of Happy Place "I just meant to glance at the book, but it seized me and wouldn't let me go. Fabulous." --Joanna Lumley
"Okay, folks, buckle up. Matt Haig, the wonder, is back." --Lemn Sissay, poet and author of Let the Light Pour In "Weird and fantastical and lush and magical at once." --Hollie McNish, bestselling author of Slug