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Sign up todayThe Life Impossible
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Learn moreBookseller recommendation
“Joanna was the perfect voice for this lovely, heartwarming, cheeky, imaginative story. I loved every minute. Can’t wait to visit this island and see what all the fuss is about. 😉”
— Kimberly • Volumes Bookcafe
Bookseller recommendation
“Breathtaking down to the final sentence. This book is one that keeps you hanging on, makes you think deeply about life, and comforts you all at the same time. I wish I could experience it for the very first time all over again. ”
— Katelyn • Twice Told Tales
Bookseller recommendation
“Quite possibly the best audiobook I have ever listened to. Absolutely brilliant narrating takes an incredible story and lifts it to new heights. When a widowed woman is left a house on an island off the coast of Spain, her life will change in ways she could never have imagined. This is a story of hope, healing and, most of all, living life to the fullest, no matter what our age.”
— Mary OMalley • Skylark Bookshop
Bookseller recommendation
“Another magical book by Matt Haig. It encourages all of us to cherish every natural thing because we are all connected. The darkness in life is how we are able to see the light, the happy times, and to remember the good memories to help us through the bad. Matt Haig reminds us once again how life is important and to hold tight each beautiful flower. ”
— Mollie • HearthFire Books
Bookseller recommendation
“A beautiful mystery set in magical Ibiza. You will yearn for this place after listening to it and feel real joy for the protagonist as she winds her way through understanding her friend, the magic that unfolds, and herself. ”
— Amy • Park Books
Bookseller recommendation
“I will be thinking about the gems of wisdom in this beautiful book for a long time. Retired math teacher Grace Winters inherits a rundown house on a Mediterranean island from a long-lost friend. Arriving in Ibiza without a plan, she searches for answers about her friend's life and death. As she uncovers surprising truths, she must confront her own past, embracing hope and new beginnings. ”
— Erica • Author's Note
Bookseller recommendation
“Matt Haig is back with a semi-weird story about loss and personal discovery. The Impossible Life will keep you guessing to the end. Fans of Matt Haig’s novels won’t be disappointed. ”
— Crispin • Stacks Book Club
Bookseller recommendation
“Matt Haig does it again! If you loved The Midnight Library, you will love this book. A science fiction novel that takes you on an exciting magical journey through all the hard feelings and self discovery. It was a book that made me sad when it ended but left me smiling and thinking about my own life, and all the things that bring me joy.”
— Tanya • Pages & Paws Bookshop
The New York Times Bestseller
“An odyssey of action and awe.” —The New York Times
“A wry and tender love-letter to the best of being human.” —Benedict Cumberbatch
The remarkable next novel from Matt Haig, the author of #1 New York Times bestseller The Midnight Library, with more than nine million copies sold worldwide
“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…”
When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.
Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.
Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.
Matt Haig is the author of the internationally bestselling memoir Reasons to Stay Alive, along with five novels, including The Midnight Library, How to Stop Time, and several award-winning children’s books. His work has been published in fifty territories across the world.
Reviews
Called by The New York Times a “love letter to life” and named a must-read book of fall 2024 from TIME | Book Riot | GoodReads | Library Journal | BookPage | PEOPLE | Parade | SheReads | Town & Country“A beautiful novel full of life-affirming wonder and imagination and, at its adventurous heart, a wry and tender love-letter to the best of being human.” —Benedict Cumberbatch
“An odyssey of action and awe. . . a humble and genuinely lovely concept.” —The New York Times
“Grace’s realization that everything on Earth is worthy of admiration and preservation is a message the whole world can get behind.” —Associated Press
“Haig’s magnificent latest. . . In [his] sure hands, magic comes to breathtaking life.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Another inspiring page-turner. . . .an adventure-filled tale about the power of new beginnings.” —Woman's World
“Haig’s wise and moving novel is both a mystery and a love story, a fantasy and a billet-doux to the planet. Perhaps its greatest gift lies in showing us that it is possible to dismantle the boundaries we have built, grasp the connections previously hidden, and appreciate life in all its richness.” —Joanna Cannon, The Guardian
“If you're itching to extend your own summer vacation just a bit, we can't think of a better book to join you.” —Town & Country
“A pitched, swashbuckling battle between good and evil. . .With its glorious setting and appealingly quirky cast, The Life Impossible has terrific cinematic potential.” —Christian Science Monitor
“[A] wonderful book about climate change, aging, and recovering from guilt.” —Book Riot
“An instantly engrossing, page-turning delight. . . .well worth reading for anyone who wants a hopeful, warm, very human journey that crackles with magic.” —BookPage
“In a world that seems to be getting more unstable by the moment, Haig’s novels are a steady ship in rough seas. . .the author’s insistence on the power of connection to change lives comes through loud and clear.” —Kirkus
“Part mystery, part transcendental tale, that takes Grace on a redemptive journey inside nightclubs and the far reaches of Ibiza to the bottom of the ocean and worlds that lie beyond.” —Goodreads
“[A] wise, inspirational tale.” —PEOPLE
“Matt Haig will likely continue his streak of success with The Life Impossible. . . . a warm and inviting message. . . that will leave the reader filled with hope by the end.” —Screen Rant
“Readers can be excited about another deeply human story that reaches in and tugs at your heartstrings, beckoning you to believe in what’s good and offering permission to love the parts of yourself you wish you could change, as Haig appears to strive to do himself.” —SheReads
“[Haig is] an expert at penning heartwarming, uplifting tales.” —AARP
“[A] fantastical exploration of grief, forgiveness, and second chances.” —TIME
“Haig’s writing is as assured and appetising as ever.” —Independent
“A voyage of self-discovery and what it means to be human.” —Mail on Sunday
“Haig skillfully and humorously wraps a fantastical tale around his exploration of the transmorative nature of emotions as individuals connect with each other.” —Library Journal
“An insightful read about how it’s never too late to start over.” —Real Simple
“Wise, thought-provoking and great on finding connections in unlikely places . . . The descriptions of the Spanish island are so lush and evocative . . . Wonderful.” —Daily Mail
“There's a magnificence to Grace's second act, a whizzing euphoria that feels contagious.” —iNews
“Matt Haig’s latest novel is a remarkable heroine’s journey, exploring the boundaries of forgiveness, grief, joy, and what it means to be human in a universe where we’re not alone. I adored it.” —J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest
“Stunning. It's not only exquisitely written but has so much magic woven through it. A beautiful book for us all to get lost in.” —Fearne Cotton, creator and host of Happy Place
“I just meant to glance at the book, but it seized me and wouldn’t let me go. Fabulous.” —Joanna Lumley
“Okay, folks, buckle up. Matt Haig, the wonder, is back.” —Lemn Sissay, poet and author of Let the Light Pour In
“Weird and fantastical and lush and magical at once.” —Hollie McNish, bestselling author of Slug
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