Tom has a condition that makes him age extremely slowly. We all age forward while he says he ages "sideways." He's been a friend to Shakespeare, travelled with Captain Cook, partied with F. Scott and Zelda, and now in this present time he is of all things a high school history teacher in London. That makes sense as he has actually lived history. It's not all glamorous, living more than 400 years. He watched his mother be accused of being a witch as she had a son who never possible aged.
Everyone he has loved or befriended has long since passed, except for his daughter who he cannot find, although he has searched the world over for hundreds of years. Tom's longing for her nearly breaks him in two multiple times.
There are others like him. They are part of The Albatross Society, an
underground group that protects but rules over people like Tom. There's just one regulation: Never fall in love.
That may prove increasingly difficult as Tom has met a captivating French teacher who is fascinated by him, and maybe she has a clue to his true age.
It's a time travel book that reveals more about Tom as he remembers back, finding painful memories that bring on dreadful headaches, as he also tries to make sense of the present-day world, and deeply worries about the future. He has spent generations looking for happiness. Could it finally be here, today, in London? We may not be 400 years old, but we are all a good bit like Tom. Don't we sometimes look back and shake our heads, get lost in present-day life, and be concerned for what lies ahead? Don't we want happiness and someone to love along the way?
"How to Stop Time," is funny, tender, and captivating, and for a history nerd it's great fun to have a life from 1581 to present bring along all the archives. This book is going on my personal list of favorite books. Everything I've ever read of Matt Haig's has been enjoyable, and this did not disappoint.
I read Benedict Cumberbatch will play the older Tom in the film version! What's not to like about that?
"How to Stop Time," by Matt Haig. You will want to make time for this one!