“History isn’t something you need to bring to life. History already is alive. We are history… History is everywhere. It’s about making people realize that. It makes you understand a place… History is people. Everyone loves people.” Before reading “How to Stop Time” by Matt Haig, I could not disagree more with the sentiments shared by protagonist Tom Hazard. I don’t like history. I don’t even really get history. However, Haig, and maybe Tom Hazard himself, changed my mind completely by the time the novel was over.

“How to Stop Time” at its most basic, is a time traveling love story. The novel was released in February of 2018, and has already been marked for a movie adaptation. At its fullest, the novel is a valuable lesson on the importance of love and relationships, whether they be familial, romantic, or even with a pet, when it comes to appreciating and enjoying life. It is about embracing the pains of the past rather than repressing them in order to better fully live and love everyone around you.

Tom Hazard may look like he is in his forties, but he was born in France in 1581. And yes, this novel takes place in 2018 (cue the Tinder and Trump references). Tom Hazard has a rare and secret disease known as Anageria. This disease slows down the aging process and strengthens the immune system. Tom, currently a 2018 high school history teacher, arguably owes William Shakespeare his life and has gotten drinks with F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was on the ship that discovered Tahiti. However, he has never lived life entirely happy—at least not for long.

Tom belongs to a secret society that is made up of people who have his same disease. The rules are simple, every eight years Tom must relocate and change his identity and while doing so, complete a task for the greater good of the society and others like him. This sometimes means violence. But Tom has faced traumatic violence in his own life a a result of his condition. Tom is also in search of his estranged daughter, born in the 1600s, who apparently has his very same condition. Also, because 2018 biotech firms would love using people like him as lab rats, Tom feels as though he has no choice but to stay in the society.

With chapters donning titles like “London 1623,” “London 1860,” and “Suffolk 1599,” “How to Stop Time” already looks like a novel I’d typically avoid. However, all the feelings of intimidation and fear that I have when it comes to historical settings don’t exist in Haig’s work. The reader will love jumping back and forth from short chapters in the present day to chapters taking place nearly 400 years in the past. Every character, whether present or past, good or bad, is given depth and motivations that make the novel come alive. It helps that Haig’s prose reads smoothly, even prophetically, from one time period to the next. With Haig’s help, history is an easy and rewarding journey to follow—at least for the reader. Not as much for Tom.

As anyone can imagine, Tom Hazard has seen a lot of people come and go, including his adoring mother, the love of his life, his beloved daughter, and many friends. No one can understand the fleetingness of happiness as much as someone like Tom. However, even in a novel where it seems like sadness seeps out of every third chapter, the book is undeniably hopeful. Tom is driven by love, even when he does his best to deny himself the pleasures of love, in fear of the pain that will surely follow it. In this novel, love and life are deeply intertwined—and not in the corny romance-novel type of way. In Haig’s universe, there is no life without love, at least not one worth living. If “How to Stop Time” cannot convince readers of the excitement of history, at the very least it can convince readers of the importance of their loved ones.

“How to Stop Time” can be fast paced enough to be considered an adventure book. It can be passionate enough to be considered a romance novel. It can even be wise enough to be considered a self help book. “How to Stop Time” is a lot of different books in one, but at its most important, it is a guide to a happy life.
Pick up “How to Stop Time” by Matt Haig in a bookstore today if you’re in need of a smile.