The Life Impossible Audiobook By Matt Haig cover art

The Life Impossible

A Novel

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The Life Impossible

By: Matt Haig
Narrated by: Joanna Lumley, Jordan Stephens
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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.

©2024 Matt Haig (P)2024 Penguin Audio Editors Select First Contact Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Science Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt

Critic reviews

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

Interview: Matt Haig embraces "The Life Impossible" in his fantastical new novel about second chances

The Life Impossible
'I think it's hard to convey the experience of feeling the impossible in your own life and putting it into fiction.'
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  • The Life Impossible
  • 'I think it's hard to convey the experience of feeling the impossible in your own life and putting it into fiction.'
Beautiful Prose • Magical Storytelling • Soothing Voice • Well-developed Characters • Thought-provoking Themes
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Way too “out there” for me! Crazy ability to do things with your mind are not in my repertoire, but oh perhaps it is in yours. An interesting exploration of Ibiza though.

I continued listening long after I should have…

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I do not understand the glowing reviews. I found the protagonist's unendingly whiny self talk over the top and grating. That was compounded by the excessive and redundant wordiness of the entire story. The plot was not complex and the reveals were easy to guess. The excessive explanation of everything just made it boring. I only made it to the end by listening at double speed while doing chores. I want my credit back :(

Annoying protagonist and excessively verbose story

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Again just like The Midnight Library Matt hits it out of the ark!! This is such a beautiful and life altering book! You will not be disappointed if you press “play”!!!

Spectacular!!!

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No spoiler, a bit of math theory, enough psychology to make Jung proud but very interesting complex characters.

Magical realism with an unusual plot.

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The story is a well written adventure that fans of The Midnight Library and The Humans will enjoy. It gives you the best and worst of humanity and all the feelings. And also, the challenge of what it really means to live.

An adventure of letting go

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A sweet, short, fantastical tale flavored with philosophical musings on what truly matters. Perhaps not for those who twitch at a tale with plot holes, or those inclined to view such musings as maudlin -- but you'll know in the first chapter or two if this is the right book for you right now. If you are feeling numb or burnt out, this might be just the reset for you--the perfect trip dosage of a book, so to speak; you step away with the memory of a wee journey with some beautiful imagery, but absolutely remember your big takeaways, and feel refreshed and ready to meet the world again, with new perspective. This was a first read for me with this author, and I'll be searching his others, for something to keep in the back pocket, should a season to come start feeling too dark. Thanks, Matt Haig!

A breath of fresh air for the tired soul

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Such a great story, narration is stellar, and the humor leaves you smiling and giggling. Such a fun adventure… thank you Matt Haig! Very enjoyable… one of my favorite best listens!!!

Loved it!!!

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What a wonderful story, and wonderfully performed. Normally a fan of detective novels. I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed this book. 

Unexpected and life affirming

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The book is a fluid read and brought me great peace in a time of uncertainty. Thanks Matt Haig!

Faith

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Magical story read wonderfully - totally enjoyed this with many life lessons to take away from the story…with a strong message to live life to the fullest!

Magical story…!

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