How to Stop Time

Starred review from November 13, 2017
Tom Hazard doesn’t age. Or, he does, but very, very slowly. He was born in France in 1581, but like other “albatrosses” (those who carry the burden of living forever), a century to him passes like a decade or less. In this enthralling quest through time, Haig (Reasons to Stay Alive) follows his protagonist through the Renaissance up to “now,” when Tom works as a history teacher in London. As Tom goes on various recruiting missions for the Albatross Society, the setting of the story moves from Shakespeare’s Globe to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Paris to Bisbee, Ariz., and other far reaches of the earth. The main rule of the Albatross Society is that, in order to stay protected from a group of scientists who want to study and confirm the existence of the albatrosses, an albatross cannot fall in love. And yet, all the while, Tom nurses a broken heart and searches for his long lost daughter, Marion, who is also an albatross. “Humans don’t learn from history” is one of the lessons Tom learns, and, despite everything he witnesses over the expansiveness of history, nothing can cure him of lovesickness. His persistence through the centuries shows us that the quality of time matters more than the quantity lived.

December 1, 2017
In this new novel by Haig (Reasons to Stay Alive, 2016), a man of extraordinarily long life deals with a painfully ordinary question: what is it we live for?Tom Hazard, though he has gone by many names, has an unusual condition that makes him age exceptionally slowly--he's more than 400 years old in 2017 but looks a mere 40-something. Tragic events taught him early that his seeming agelessness is a lightning rod for witch hunters and the dangerously suspicious in all eras. For protection, he belongs to the Albatross Society, a secret organization led by Hendrich, an ancient, charismatic man who's highly protective of his members and aggressive about locating and admitting other "albas" into the group. After assisting Hendrich in one such quest, Tom starts a new life in London; he's haunted by memories of his previous life there in the early 1600s, when he had to leave his wife and young child to ensure their safety. He's losing hope that Hendrich will help him find his daughter, who he's learned shares his condition. He muddles through his days until he meets a French teacher who claims she recognizes his face. Unraveling that mystery will lead Tom to re-examine his deeply etched pessimism. Meanwhile, readers are treated to memories of his past, including encounters with Shakespeare, Capt. Cook, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Tom sometimes wallows overmuch about the changelessness of the human condition, and one might be forgiven for wondering why so much time has not done more to heal his oldest wounds. But Haig skillfully enlivens Tom's history with spare, well-chosen detail, making much of the book transporting.An engaging story framed by a brooding meditation on time and meaning.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from November 15, 2017
Tom Hazard is 439 years old! Impossible, you say? Not at all. He has a rare but not unique condition called anageria, which means he ages but very, very slowly. For every 15 years a normal person ages, he ages a single year. His condition began to manifest itself at puberty. To his ignorant, superstitious neighbors in sixteenth-century Suffolk, he appears not to age at all; this being clearly the devil's work, his mother is killed for being a witch. He then moves to London, where he meets Rose and, falling in love, they marry and have a daughter, Marion, but must move constantly before their neighbors begin to notice Tom's condition. Finally, to protect them, he must leave them and, for centuries, refuses to fall in love. But the heart has its reasons, and now, a history teacher in London, he falls in love with Camille, the school's French teacher, a fact he must keep from the vaguely sinister Henrich, head of the Albatross Society, which exists to protect albas, i.e., people like Tom. But, for various reasons, Tom's life is once again at risk. Haig's plot is obviously complex, buta marvel of inventionit is seamlessly presented, telling an absolutely compelling story. It examines large issueshistory, time, purpose, and morebut in an engagingly thought-provoking, compulsively readable way. It is, in every way, a triumph not to be missed.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018

Haig (Reasons To Stay Alive; The Dead Father's Club) uses the concept of time to show that a long life can be either a blessing or a burden. Witnessing history through the ages might be fascinating, yet hiding your condition ultimately leaves the time-altered character lonely and alienated from society. Such is the fate of Tom Smith. Born in 1581, he was in his teens when his aging process slowed down to one year for every 15 that passed. Eventually the Albatross Society, formed by others like Tom, indoctrinated him into their guarded organization. Now at the age of 271 (looking like he is in his early 40s) and renamed Henry, he is still looking for his daughter. Marion was born when he was young and in love--before he discovered the dangers of forming attachments to humans who aged normally. Finding his daughter becomes an all-consuming and dangerous quest. VERDICT Aficionados of time-travel fiction like F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife, or Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series will be drawn to this haunting tale. Haig adds depth to the genre with his rich depiction of one man's reaction as he learns to cope, flourish, and accept his lot in life. [See Prepub Alert, 8/20/17.]--Susan Carr, Edwardsville P.L., IL

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2017

Owing to a rare and perhaps unenviable condition, Tom Hazard has lived for centuries, performing with Shakespeare and drinking with F. Scott Fitzgerald. He's trying to lead a normal life as a high school teacher in London, but he's falling for the French teacher, a move opposed by the Albatross Society, guardians of people like Tom. Benedict Cumberbatch will star in the film. From the author of the best-selling memoir Reasons To Stay Alive.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.