Ponder: The Life Impossible

The Life Impossible ©2025 is the second book I have read by Matt Haig. In my post for 7/6/21, I reviewed and rated Haig's Midnight Library ©2020 only two stars. But everybody deserves a second chance, right? Wrong! I also rate The Life Impossible only two stars, which for me, translates to, "Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it". So what were those redeeming features?

1. The main character of the story, Grace, is a retired math teacher in her seventies. The novel has several mathematical references and terms such as the Fibonacci sequence, positive and negative numbers, some calculus terms, etc. I could relate to Grace's age, retired status, and technical background.
   
   
2. I learned a new vocabulary term, anhedonia which is defined as the inability to experience pleasure from activities that were once enjoyable.
   
   
3. The premise was interesting and had promise. Grace was left a house on an island by Christina, a previous teaching colleague of hers. She lived alone and had no other ties so why not explore this option, adding an experiment to her now mundane life? And how did Christina die or did she just disappear or perhaps go into hiding?
   
   
4. There were passages that prompted deeper thought. This particular one resonated with me as I ponder my decluttering efforts. Here is one example passage from early on in the book:
   

   The word "era" entered my mind and did not leave. I thought about how you entered a new one [era]. ... How you need to create a distinct break with what has gone before. In geology it is often after an extinction, isn't it? The Mesozoic Era ended with the mass death of the dinosaurs via a meteor. I was wondering if I was starting a new era or if I was taking too much with me. This is the challenge of life, isn't it? Moving forward without annihilating what has gone before.

The novel seemed as if the author was looking for opportunities to insert pithy phrases rahter than tell story. Disco dances, song titles, music groups were often listed throughout an entire paragraph to generate a feeling. Not knowing what many of them were left me bored, missing the sensation I was meant to feel, and merely skimming the paragraphs. The plot was random. I will admit the title was appropriate. Not to reveal any spoilers, but where else but in an impossible life on a unique island can you gather together, ecology rants, species preservation, dishonest politicians, greedy real estate developers, scuba diving, aliens, glowing light, other planets, mind reading, telekinesis, grief, guilt, gambling, goats, lobsters, snakes, cormorants, and flamingos? I will not be seeking out other books by this other, even with his accolade of being a New York Times best seller. For me The Life Impossible was

★★☆☆☆ Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it