The Life Impossible

The spectacular new book about hope and new beginnings from the number one Sunday Times bestselling author

'What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don't understand yet . . .'

When retired Maths 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 Balearics 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.

Review

"A beautiful novel full of life-affirming wonder and imagination" -- BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

"Haig's wise and moving novel is both a mystery and a love story . . . Perhaps its greatest gift lies in showing us that it is possible to dismantle the boundaries we have built, grasp the connections previously hidden, and appreciate life in all its richness" -- JOANNA CANNON ― Guardian

"Stunning. It's not only exquisitely written but has so much magic woven through it" -- FEARNE COTTON

"Haig's writing is as assured and appetising as ever" ― Independent

"An odyssey of action and awe . . . a humble and genuinely lovely concept" ― New York Times

"Okay, folks, buckle up. Matt Haig, the wonder, is back" -- LEMN SISSAY

"Weird and fantastical and lush and magical at once" -- HOLLIE McNISH

"I just meant to glance at this book, but it seized me and wouldn't let me go. Fabulous" -- JOANNA LUMLEY

"Wise, thought-provoking and great on finding connections in unlikely places . . . The descriptions of the Spanish island are so lush and evocative . . . Wonderful" ― Daily Mail

"Wondrous . . . [a] fantastical exploration of grief, forgiveness and second chances" ― TIME

About the Author

Matt Haig writes both fiction and non-fiction. This includes the novels The Humans, How to Stop Time and The Midnight Library, which has been a number one Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller. A major film of his novel The Radleys is released in 2024. He has also written a number of children's books including A Boy Called Christmas, which became a major feature film, and most recently the non-fiction book for adults, The Comfort Book.