The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

Matt Haig ‘s The Midnight Library was one of my favorite books of 2020, which is a story of second chances – a woman who feels she’s made all the wrong choices and missed her window of opportunity to become something else. Haig returns to that theme in his newest novel, THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE, the story of Grace Winter, 72-year-old retired math teacher who has recently lost her husband and still mourns the death of her 9-year-old son three decades earlier.

When an old acquaintance dies in a mysterious accident off the shores of Ibiza, she bequeaths her home to Grace. Grace is confounded by Christina’s generous gift, given that she hadn’t heard from her in ages, and her only kindness to her was an invitation to Christmas dinner years prior.

But Grace’s life has become so boring and predictable -- her bungalow in England, her retired life, and her disconnectedness (there are only two friends in her WhatsApp list), that she impulsively buys a one-way ticket to Ibiza. Upon arrival she’s delivered by taxi to the dilapidated shack that Christina once called home, and warned to stay away from Alberto Rios, a man described as a cross between an unrehabilitated caveman and a pirate, who may be implicated in Christina’s death at sea.

But Alberto may be the only one who knows what really happened to Christina, so Grace decides to take a chance. On a midnight dive with Alberto to the scene of Christina’s death, Grace explores the water where Christina disappeared and encounters a mysterious light – La Presencia – that bestows upon her telepathic and telekinetic powers, which will lead her to the truth of Christina’s death and will be honed and challenged as she confronts the evil people involved.

The novel is framed as a correspondence between Grace and her former student, Maurice, who has recently suffered a loss and seeks Grace’s guidance. And although I don’t consider myself a fan of magical realism, Haig’s compassion and empathy for his characters as they struggle to find a new, possible life, made it so much more than a fancy card trick. Haig richly draws the island of Ibiza, the culture, and the people who live there. He unspools the tangled storyline of Grace’s past, the perceived mistakes and missteps that have hobbled her, and lays a new path before her – a life of connectedness to her new home and community. Highly recommended for fans of character driven fiction.