theliterateleprechaun 's Reviews > The Life Impossible

I’m fully confident this will be an outlier opinion.

Septuagenarian Grace Winters needs Ibiza more than she realizes. Grief has burrowed deep, regret has set in, she’s lost her feeling of self-worth, and she’s almost become numb to the possibility of happiness. She heads to Ibiza and a home she’s inherited, trying to make sense of her friend’s death. Suddenly, she’s forced to step outside her comfort zone and befriend the eccentrics of Ibiza who expose her to their bizarre ideas. It’s making room for possibilities in her life that allows Grace to change her trajectory and outlook, and positively impact her new island community.

I always feel inadequate and frustrated when I read a Matt Haig book. I know that it’s certainly not his aim. As I reached for The Life Impossible, I did so with hope and an open mind, but the same feelings returned and I am finally convinced that I am not his target audience.

I’ve tried many times to appreciate or harness the energy in Haig’s writing, but I always feel like I’m a cowboy on a wild horse trying to lasso without a rope. For me, navigating the random epistolary narrative stuffed with paranormal events and mindfulness over-saturation set off a barrage of avoidance techniques and I had to force myself to finish.

I appreciated where Haig was going with this speculative fiction. Despite having a STEM teacher’s brain that operates best on organization and planning, I could see the appeal of a hedonistic lifestyle and I could see Grace’s transition - maybe even laugh with her as she tried to harness her new power - but it was all just ‘too much’ for this reader who relishes believability and reality. I couldn’t wrap my linear brain around the shapeshifters and portals as a way to start afresh. I’ll stick to pivoting within the confines of reality in order to experience ‘the life impossible.’

Despite not enjoying this book as it was intended, I’ll say that Haig and I do agree on one thing - you’re never too old for a fresh start!

I was gifted this copy by Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.