How to Stop Time

By: Matt Haig / Narrated By: Mark Meadows

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

A quiet contemplation on how to live when Hope has gone but Time continues

Nope, this ain’t the true wonder that The Midnight Library is, that one p’raps being more current, but to me at any rate, it was a subtle reminder to live in the present moment, to embrace all the good around, to let go of fears to come, etc. etc. et freaking c. And with Mark Meadows as narrator? Awesome.

Tom Hazard, his new name for this go-round, would seem to be 41 years old, buuuuuut is not. Born in 1581, he happens to have what is deemed Anageria—the dude doesn’t age. Or rather, he ages reeeeally slowly. In the 1500s, he was just a boy who stopped aging at a certain point, which is not a problem. Uhm, unless one considers the time. When bad stuff starts to happen, CERtainly it’s that kid who doesn’t age. And an unfortunate flea bite damns him: The mark of the devil. In his tiny village, with a witch hunter after his mother and him, Tom acquires memories that will haunt him, even as he navigates current day London.

For protection against such scrutiny, Tom has joined the Albatross society, a grouping of people from all over the world who are also afflicted with Anageria. Run by the (Rather!) unscrupulous Hendrich, members are given new identities every 8 years… in exchange for… favors that Hendrich requests of them. Safety from modern day witch hunts, from medical research, the chance to live in peace—Sure, what’s not to love? Uhm, except Rule Number One: Never fall in love.

This is something Tom has been fairly okay with as his one true love died of the plague eons ago. For centuries Tom has been running, falling into adventures and alcohol, doing real damage. Suffering. The only thing that’s kept him going is that Hendrich has assured Tom that his daughter Marion, who might also be afflicted, still exists out there. And the Club WILL find her; it’s just aaaaallll those extra favors that are asked of him, favors like rounding up other afflicted people who might out the group. They’re a danger, and Tom is asked to bring them in, or else…

There are a few action scenes where Tom has to tuck his conscience away in order to do Hendrich’s bidding, but mostly How to Stop Time is a back and forth as Tom has headaches and visions where time and memories are blurred. Standing in front of his class now that he’s a teacher in London, teaching the history of Witch Hunts has him vertiginously hurtling back to the 16th century and his mother’s dunking—if she drowns, she’s not a witch and Tom (Etienne) is innocent. As he speaks, his head pounds, he sweats, visions of that day and forevermore being on the run swish and intertwine, and what is this new life worth, really? His condition, his very self, had caused the death of one of the only people he’s loved in all these many centuries.

And the headaches continue as Tom runs through his days, seeing not the Kentucky Fried Chicken on the corner, but what was there centuries before. They pulse and make him weak as he recalls auditioning for Shakespeare’s company when he was playing his mother’s lute to make money. His class now giggles at him, seeing him weak at the knees is something they’ve become accustomed to, but Tom is forever out of this new life of his, forever contemplating time, forever caught in his past lives where a Hope for nothing better is oh so prevalent.

The Publisher’s Summary… yeh I read the danged thing… and a few reviews have this as some sort of whimsical rom-com, and yes, there is a new interest for Tom, but love is NOT for him, Hendrich and the society would certainly nip that in the bud. But there’s so much more to it that’s relevant beyond amusing romantic stylings. There’s the question of why on earth ANYone would want extra years when all the markers of what means anything are taken away and made meaningless. Is there a sense of patriotism when countries rise and fall and all turns to dust? And what is love and why would it be embraced if you would be the only one to survive a relationship, with oh soooo much time to grieve, memories making a person bleed afresh.

Mark Meadows turns in a top notch performance as he navigates his way through all these questions—and you’d better believe Haig’s asking aplenty—and he finely crafts each character, effortlessly making them unique withOUT juggling, without resorting to stereotypes. There’s the native guy who became Tom’s friend as they voyaged with Captain Cook and who has chosen to be an ageless surfer guru who chooses not to hide. There’s Tom’s love interest (Who, considering she’s French, Meadows could’ve donned a butchered accent for) who is captivated, but who’s really just a person, plain and simple, enthusiastic yet apt to be hurt. There’s the affable Hendrich whose motives are unclear and who sheds personalities even as layer upon layer of his intentions become clear (Not to mention, the dude is ancient and getting plastic surgery as his new life has him living in Paradise, With More Traffic—Santa Barbara). Hendrich was as close as Meadows came to tiptoeing towards the line of stereotype, but seriously; the accent was straightforward and uncomplicated so I never felt that Meadows had anything less than Hendrich’s character firmly in hand as an ambiguous man who spouted all sorts of cryptic things.

NEVER think Haig will tell a simple, straightforward tale; ALWAYS expect him to make you question how you inhabit each moment of your life, how you accept or reject, embrace or turn away from Life’s heartaches and griefs, those godawful events that can lead to the most truly enlightening periods of our lives. Expect to question your beliefs, what you hold dear, and: Truly, what matters when something may never be over and done with but when certainly all has been said. This book gave me a slight case of the blues every now and again as I pondered the reality of history forEVER repeating itself, each generation so sure they’re right and being right is far more important than being happy, than living in peace with one’s fellow humanity.

The ending is rather abrupt with a few bows neatly wrapped, but Haig did indeed introduce all the necessary factors for such completion to be acceptable. It’s just I’d have liked a bit more on the evolution of his relationships after his choices were made, and I’d CERtainly have liked a bit more about his rescue dog, Abraham, the depressed Akita.

Not my favorite Haig, but at least this one didn’t leave me in a puddle of tears and contemplating the scars on my body. Rather, it had me feeling a measure of pleasant contentment, uncomplicated, all questions asked and answered with a single concept; that of living each moment (Tho’ not so tritely stated…!) as tho’ I actually inhabit my body…

… and that I’m capable of casting great shouts of joy to the heavens above, with much gratitude for every lost love that I’ve ever had in my life…