What would I want readers to know about this book if they had picked it up to think about buying it?
I'd want them to know they should feel a sense of excitement. That there is a visceral joy to be found between it's pages. That they were about to go on an adventure, at times so fantastical and full of magic that they would wonder where it was taking them.
For me, that's one of the many beautiful merits, losing yourself in a good story brings - a sense of escape, somewhere to go that intrigues you.
The weird, wondrous and remarkable helps us break from mundanity and takes us out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary. The Life Impossible does exactly that.
But what is even more extraordinary about this book, is that it manages to pull us back into the real world with all it's magic too.
It gently re-awakens, reminds and rejuvenates you to seeing what has actually been there, under our noses, all along. "That what looks like magic is simply a part of life we don't understand yet" and that the real magic is around and within all of us already.
There is a gentle wisdom and kindness in telling this story through the eyes of Grace, someone who has experienced the worst life can throw at her and in experiencing that has forgotten how to live.
I felt her pain and her numbness or "anhedonia' and it was understandable and relatable without being morose.
There is so much to love about Grace, she wants you to go on this incredulous journey with her and she'll doubt it's possibilities far more than you, which makes it even more enjoyable when she finally embraces the remarkable and realises where it's come from all along.
The island of Ibiza reawakens her curiosity: I imagine depression as stripping you of curiosity and I can't think of a better place to find your sense of wonder again than in Ibiza.
I went to Ibiza for the very first time, 3 weeks before I got my proof copy of this book to read, which feels like a pattern in itself, and I know I'll be back with Grace's list of things to do there, from Christina, as my guidebook itinerary (Boozy Book Club Holiday, anyone?).
Matt Haig said on Instagram, that "it was the most exciting idea for a novel I’ve ever had... It was an idea and also a character. It was something big, both real and fantastical, and grown-up in that it covered topics I have shied away from before, such as grief, and guilt, and how we redeem ourselves."
I don't think he has shied away from all of these before, I just think he has done it bigger and better and more directly this time. I think my all time favourite Matt Haig book is A Boy Called Christmas and I think The Life Impossible is the grown up version of this, so maybe I'll need to grow up and have this as my new fave.
The Life Impossible does encompass grief and guilt, and so, so, so much more. Woven within the story are big philosophical and existential thoughts and ideas to ponder on. At times I felt like I was taking part in some kind of Ayahuasca ceremony, or that what Grace was going through was the enlightenment I imagine such a ceremony brings. I love a book that makes me think as well as feel.
I'm in awe of the kind of mind that can write a story like this, maybe even a little envious, but not in a nasty way. I am grateful to have been taken on the journey, to have felt the connectedness and hope it offers and I'm excited for others to experience and enjoy all of that too. If I ever find the words to make a book, I want it to make people feel how this book made me feel.
Nobody can help you escape from this world while making you realise how blessed we are to be in it at the same time, better than Matt Haig. This is what I would want you to know when picking up this book.
Real magic lives in pages that offer hope, redemption, forgiveness, love and wonder and this book does it all.
Thank You!
P.S.
If you are as excited to read this book as I was then maybe you would like to pre-order our "Can't wait for the paperback" box.
You'll be supporting an independent Book Seller who has turned her passion for sharing stories into her job and want's to make you excited and delighted with the thought that's gone into our Book Club Boxes. The perfect gift for people who love a good story and love connecting over one too.
Taking inspiration from the book our box is filled with gifts and exclusively designed mementos that capture the themes of the story. It will whet your appetite and make you smile even before you open the pages to start reading.
K x