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Ron Charles's Reviews > The Life Impossible
The Life Impossible
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For millions of masked readers wringing their Purelled hands during the covid summer of 2020, Matt Haig’s novel “The Midnight Library” was an answer to a prayer. Dolly Parton kept it on her nightstand next to the Bible. Goodreads users voted it the year’s best work of fiction.
The appeal was obvious: Haig’s story describes a fantastical library that offers a suicidal young woman the chance to experience an infinite number of alternative lives. If Clarence, the second-class angel from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” had pursued a library degree instead of a pair of wings, he might have whipped up this carousel of possibilities.
Now, four years later, Haig is back with another therapeutic fantasy that tastes like a medicated cherry Popsicle. The heroine of “The Life Impossible” is a 72-year-old retired math teacher stuck brandishing the allegorical name Grace Winters. When the novel opens in England, Grace receives a letter from a depressed college kid who used to be one of her high school students. Things have not been going well: His girlfriend dumped him. His mother died. He lost his faith. He’s drinking too much. He’s overwhelmed with anxiety, hopelessness and self-hatred. “At times,” he writes, “I have found it very hard to carry on.”
Instead of encouraging this young man to talk or to find the professional care he so clearly needs, Grace describes her own salvation from a similar bout of depression in a 300-page email message. If she were still employed as a teacher, someone would be obliged to report her for psychological negligence.
“What I am about to tell you,” Grace begins, “is a story even I find hard to believe,” which makes two of us....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
The appeal was obvious: Haig’s story describes a fantastical library that offers a suicidal young woman the chance to experience an infinite number of alternative lives. If Clarence, the second-class angel from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” had pursued a library degree instead of a pair of wings, he might have whipped up this carousel of possibilities.
Now, four years later, Haig is back with another therapeutic fantasy that tastes like a medicated cherry Popsicle. The heroine of “The Life Impossible” is a 72-year-old retired math teacher stuck brandishing the allegorical name Grace Winters. When the novel opens in England, Grace receives a letter from a depressed college kid who used to be one of her high school students. Things have not been going well: His girlfriend dumped him. His mother died. He lost his faith. He’s drinking too much. He’s overwhelmed with anxiety, hopelessness and self-hatred. “At times,” he writes, “I have found it very hard to carry on.”
Instead of encouraging this young man to talk or to find the professional care he so clearly needs, Grace describes her own salvation from a similar bout of depression in a 300-page email message. If she were still employed as a teacher, someone would be obliged to report her for psychological negligence.
“What I am about to tell you,” Grace begins, “is a story even I find hard to believe,” which makes two of us....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
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Reading Progress
August 20, 2024
–
Started Reading
August 20, 2024
– Shelved
August 29, 2024
– Shelved as:
environmental-fiction
August 29, 2024
– Shelved as:
spooky-creatures
August 29, 2024
–
Finished Reading
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Gerry
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Aug 29, 2024 09:22AM
Thanks for giving me a reason to remove this one from my list. I'm now down to only 745 titles on my Want to Read shelf!
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This book sounds even more annoying than the midnight library, but your review is very entertaining!
I never understood the love for The Midnight Library so I’m glad to know I don’t have to give this author a second chance. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner I also appreciated that you noted in your review that an email isn’t the right intervention to use for someone experiencing suicidal thoughts.
It's just a book, not a manual on how to handle people who are suicidal. The character is also 72, I don't know how many boomers yal know but a large portion of them have little experience with positive mental health approaches like therapy or even SSRIs or any drugs to treat chemical imbalances. I find this to be the weirdest criticism for the book.
I know and treat plenty of 72 year olds who take SSRIs and are also in therapy. In fact, most of my patients are on Medicare and they are pretty well-informed.
Try to meet and speak with more 72 year olds.
Your (full-length) review is easily the most entertaining thing I've read this week. I smiled so many times.
Disclaimer: I haven’t read the book, but I liked Midnight Library a lot, and will probably give this one a chance. I am 72 and Seawitch’s comment does not represent me or anyone I know. An email is clearly not the right way to deal with someone’s depression. Could it be meant as a plot device?
After just suffering through the audio version of this book, I couldn't agree with this line from your review more: "Yes, of course, fantasy can be a comfort in times of despair, but prescribing a story as silly as this one in response to a heartfelt confession of grief and depression feels like recommending brighter wallpaper as a treatment for termite damage." Silly indeed. Ridiculous, in fact.
I encourage you to look up and read Matt Haig’s 22 Reasons to Stay Alive which he wrote to his 24-year-old-self after overcoming an incredibly dark and depressing reality. I believe he wrote this fictional novel as an ode to his younger self. And as someone who struggled with depression himself, I highly doubt he would be careless in his handling of depression, suicidal ideation and mental illness. Just thought I’d share because it’s helpful to understand an individual before assessing their work 🤍
This is a fiction book. It’s meant to be make-believe- not a self help book as some might think. As a make believe story, the author gets to do things we might not do in the real world. If you don’t like that kind of thing, this isn’t your book. This is a good fiction story with lots of creativity woven in. I’m not big on spoilers. Discovery of the story in reading the book is the pleasure of the journey I love as a reader. If you read, Midnight Library, you’ll recognize his hand in this and understand that was a very high bar he was trying to reach. I didn’t feel like he quite made it, though it’s still quite a good read.
Midnight library was a slow torture of a 1/4 read. I can only imagine what this one will be. 🙄
Never thought the midnight library was that great. It could have been so much better. Thanks for the review I think I will skip this one.
I accept that your view is your truthful opinion. You are clearly a ferocious reader with a critical eye. I think for there are many layers as to why the protagonist shared what she did and why she didn’t send a short reply advising mental health services intervention. He reached out to her and she replied.
Depression is hell in one’s brain, traps you in there and there is little that shifts it and sometimes the only thing that does is time.
I really enjoyed this book and it is interesting to read about the opinions of those that don’t.
I don’t feel like her story was a get into nature and all will be well and let me take care of that money issue. She is a character who knows everything about everyone. That being said if death was on the cards for him perhaps she would have responded differently, who knows?
Nevertheless, it is good to read opinions of others regardless of perspective or praise or criticism. You didn’t like it and I enjoyed it.
I want to know should I read the first 2 before jumping into the third?
Imagine reading a work of fiction and then reviewing it as though you're a psychiatrist giving their opinion on a medical journal. There are an awful lot of miserable people in this thread, including the author of the review. How sad.
I think you don’t fully understand depression. Actually, the best thing a depressed person wants to hear is not a piece of advice or consolation, but that someone else feels the same, somewhere in this world. Hard to believe, but each and every depressed person believes their pain is the greatest and that no one feels the same, so what’s wrong with me , why do i feel so shitty when there’s no reason to?So, yeah, telling a depressed person your own shitty life is the best you could do.
@Amanda couldn’t agree more!
Medicated cherry popsicle? Not even close, and a ridiculous comparison. It’s fiction good sir. Maybe reading it in Ibiza would help you, because bro.. you need a holiday!
Stop sending people to the Washington Post to read your review and finish it here. You know the Post is behind a paywall.
I just finished listening to it. Kept waiting for a redeeming feature but came to agree with you more and more. I enjoyed Midnight Library and it was why I suggested this one for our book club read this month.
So I need to buy a subscription to the Washington Post in order to read your review? No thanks.
I think the whole point of the book is being missed and criticism is everywhere. And as a 70 year old firmer RN, I am insulted by your criticism of Grace. You youngsters will all be 72 one day, and I assure you that your opinions might change. Life is all around us in it's beauty, but today everyone is too busy looking at their phone to see it. How sad for all of you....
As a 64 year old retired RN, I agree with Scooter.
As a 34 year old who’s been through a lot and transformed by it all, I agree with Scooter, too.
You nailed it scooter!
I’m 75 and glad I read reviews to the end! I’m looking forward to reading this book now! Ty :)
You lost me at millions of masked readers wringing their Purelled hands 😅 what even is that. Did you guys really read books with masks on?
Lol Cassandra! They were probably driving alone in their car with masks on too
Totally agree with Scooter, I’ve read all Matt Haig books and he never disappoints, it’s amazing he has written such diverse books , but each with so much meaning, once you put them down they stay with you for a long time.
Well I’m 72 and am a retired teacher and I find it inappropriate and hard to believe that this is an email to a former student.
I’m 77 and could not relate on any level. A very disappointing read.
Bro... I am in the psych field and yes she should have had him reach out to a professional IN THE REAL WORLD. But this is fiction... and if he just did that there would be no book.... hm...
I absolutely loved The Midnight Library and have even gifted copies of it. Likewise, I really enjoyed this book. There are people who, over my lifetime, have done small acts of kindness that still mean more to me than anything expensive. I think it would be so cool to stealthily find them and return the kindness; albeit likely not in the form of property abroad, but..
As I've aged and stopped working, I have more time to reflect. It's very easy to play the coulda, woulda, shoulda game over past life decisions. When Grace and Daniel spoke, the conversation was eye-opening for me. It's easy to imagine how things may have been different except that those images always appear with improved outcomes. That's guilt and fear. I never tell myself I'm a good person, Mom, friend, and that I do the best I can.
This was a reminder that perhaps I should and so should you.
I don't normally read this type of book,but to my amazement I was drawn into the story and couldn't put it down. There is so much wisdom for life in the words, and along with the character development and heavenly setting, the story scored a 5 from me!
If you actually read this book and thought it was a how to on suicide prevention, maybe you should find a new profession. Good try pushing subscriptions to digital crap.
After The Midnight Library and now The Life Impossible, I will no longer read anything else by this author.
I agree with Rebecca, Amanda, Mariuca, Teri, Sher, SCOOTER, Kathy (the 64 y.o. Retired RN), Nat, Cassandra, Hazel, Meghan, KimmyK, Susan, Debra and Karen, and I enjoyed this novel. Also WaPo sucks.
I loved The Midnight Library but I’m afraid I couldn’t finish The Life Impossible.
It was mildly entertaining but overall the word puerile springs to mind.
I liked your review better than the book
What a weird way to start a review. You understand this is fiction and that the email was just a plot device, right? Anyway, sue me if I'm not going to take seriously someone who uses a trite little Goodreads review to lure readers into subscribing to a digital newspaper owned by a right-wing billionaire.
