--- product_id: 456172820 title: "– How to Stop Time: Matt Haig" price: "₱2277" currency: PHP in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.ph/products/456172820-how-to-stop-time-matt-haig store_origin: PH region: Philippines --- # Time-bending narrative structure 325 pages of immersive storytelling Next-day UK dispatch – How to Stop Time: Matt Haig **Price:** ₱2277 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > ⏳ Unlock the secret to stopping time—one page at a time. ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** – How to Stop Time: Matt Haig - **How much does it cost?** ₱2277 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ph](https://www.desertcart.ph/products/456172820-how-to-stop-time-matt-haig) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Swift UK Dispatch:** Get your copy shipped from the UK warehouse the very next working day—no waiting, just reading. - • **Thought-Provoking Themes:** Explore profound reflections on longevity, love, and the human condition that resonate with millennial introspection. - • **Immersive 325-Page Journey:** Dive deep into a richly layered story that spans centuries, perfect for your next thoughtful escape. - • **Critically Acclaimed Bestseller:** Join over 34,000 readers who rated this 4.4-star gem, topping contemporary and literary fiction charts. - • **Masterful Time Travel Narrative:** Experience a seamless, non-linear plot that keeps you hooked as past and present collide. ## Overview How to Stop Time by Matt Haig is a 325-page contemporary fiction bestseller, expertly weaving a time-travel narrative that explores themes of longevity, love, and self-reflection. Dispatched next working day from the UK, this critically acclaimed novel has captivated over 34,000 readers with its unique blend of historical depth and emotional insight. ## Description Buy How to Stop Time: Matt Haig Main by Haig, Matt (ISBN: 9781838858476) from desertcart's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Review: Thought provoking and entertaining - I've previously read a few books by this author - love some of them and really like the others. This one had passed by me though and I picked it up now having recently read The Midnight Library (not my favourite but loved the premise). This book was first published in 2017. The book is 325 pages in 5 parts, each containing multiple chapters which jump about in time, always going back from the present day. I've read several books that have time travel at their core and structure/rules are always the key to their success. Matt Haig manages these impossibilities very strongly and I quickly forgot that this was not a reality. On starting the book, I did get the feeling that I had read it before although definitely hadn't which was very strange. I decided that, as I had had a recommendation, the details of the description from my friend had stuck in my head. The structure is really clear and I was swept along with the fantasy, never questioning the many difficult practical details. Extreme longevity is a very clever way to explore loneliness and that is a recurring theme that runs through all of the book. Tom, the main character and narrator, looks into his own soul, considering how to best live his life. The limits on his existence are constraining and he struggles to deal with their effects, meaning he continually analyses his actions in his attempts to "stop time". I was absorbed into Tom's world easily and completely believed the dilemmas that he faced, understanding how he tried to solve them. Various periods in past are visited and they are addressed in a way that is very natural. The detail is subtle with the descriptions never threatening to take away focus from the characters and the plot. Whilst the narrative jumps around in time frequently, we are always in Tom's head and the book is written in such a smooth style that is never jarring. Amongst all the life lessons that Tom considers there is plenty to be considered by those reading the book as well. This book is entertaining, emotional and thought provoking. I felt that I had learnt a lot about Tom by the end and thoroughly enjoyed sharing his journey of realisation. Review: Who Wants To Live Forever? - So, I heard about this book on BBC Radio Two. The premise of it attracted me. People living for perhaps a millennium! Not a new idea (read the bible for long lived individuals) but all the same fascinating. The central character, a man born in the middle ages who falls in love, but doesn't seemingly age once he has reached adulthood. He falls in love and, as they say the course of love is never... Obviously he outlives his wife and he live his life through different times, having to move every so often as people are on the verge of realising he isn't ageing. He gets in scrapes, meets historical characters along the way and becomes involved in a secret society that aids people like him. But there, not all is as it seems. He has a daughter and she is also an Alba (long lived person, named after the albatross) and he wants to find her. Anyway, enough of the story. Except to say it's the story here that captures your interest. You do become involved in the plot and the central character and there's certainly a pull for the reader to discover the eventual outcome. It is, indeed, a good read. But is it perfect? Not really. There are a number of areas I would point to there. As our intrepid hero lives through the centuries, he meets historical characters, fairly improbably I thought sometimes. I have to say it reminded me a bit of Forest Gump meeting the presidents. The storyline jumps from the present to previous centuries too. Probably a necessary tool to tell this story, but at each jump, there's the risk of losing the reader's interest and having to engage again. The story, at times descends in to reflective mode and interest can wane there too. But I didn't find this terminal. Actually, in perspective, I think I'm nit-picking about what I found to be in the end, a good, engaging book. Freddie Mercury once sang "Who Wants To Live Forever?" No doubt whilst painfully aware of his own mortality. Who was he kidding? Despite the problems illustrated in this book, I'd give it a go. As, indeed, you should give reading this book a go. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 5,471 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 856 in Contemporary Fiction (Books) 1,226 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (34,976) | | Dimensions | 12.9 x 2.1 x 19.8 cm | | Edition | Main | | ISBN-10 | 1838858474 | | ISBN-13 | 978-1838858476 | | Item weight | 236 g | | Language | English | | Print length | 352 pages | | Publication date | 21 July 2022 | | Publisher | Canongate Books | ## Images ![– How to Stop Time: Matt Haig - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71VbqW+dFEL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thought provoking and entertaining *by J***U on 30 January 2022* I've previously read a few books by this author - love some of them and really like the others. This one had passed by me though and I picked it up now having recently read The Midnight Library (not my favourite but loved the premise). This book was first published in 2017. The book is 325 pages in 5 parts, each containing multiple chapters which jump about in time, always going back from the present day. I've read several books that have time travel at their core and structure/rules are always the key to their success. Matt Haig manages these impossibilities very strongly and I quickly forgot that this was not a reality. On starting the book, I did get the feeling that I had read it before although definitely hadn't which was very strange. I decided that, as I had had a recommendation, the details of the description from my friend had stuck in my head. The structure is really clear and I was swept along with the fantasy, never questioning the many difficult practical details. Extreme longevity is a very clever way to explore loneliness and that is a recurring theme that runs through all of the book. Tom, the main character and narrator, looks into his own soul, considering how to best live his life. The limits on his existence are constraining and he struggles to deal with their effects, meaning he continually analyses his actions in his attempts to "stop time". I was absorbed into Tom's world easily and completely believed the dilemmas that he faced, understanding how he tried to solve them. Various periods in past are visited and they are addressed in a way that is very natural. The detail is subtle with the descriptions never threatening to take away focus from the characters and the plot. Whilst the narrative jumps around in time frequently, we are always in Tom's head and the book is written in such a smooth style that is never jarring. Amongst all the life lessons that Tom considers there is plenty to be considered by those reading the book as well. This book is entertaining, emotional and thought provoking. I felt that I had learnt a lot about Tom by the end and thoroughly enjoyed sharing his journey of realisation. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Who Wants To Live Forever? *by M***N on 27 October 2017* So, I heard about this book on BBC Radio Two. The premise of it attracted me. People living for perhaps a millennium! Not a new idea (read the bible for long lived individuals) but all the same fascinating. The central character, a man born in the middle ages who falls in love, but doesn't seemingly age once he has reached adulthood. He falls in love and, as they say the course of love is never... Obviously he outlives his wife and he live his life through different times, having to move every so often as people are on the verge of realising he isn't ageing. He gets in scrapes, meets historical characters along the way and becomes involved in a secret society that aids people like him. But there, not all is as it seems. He has a daughter and she is also an Alba (long lived person, named after the albatross) and he wants to find her. Anyway, enough of the story. Except to say it's the story here that captures your interest. You do become involved in the plot and the central character and there's certainly a pull for the reader to discover the eventual outcome. It is, indeed, a good read. But is it perfect? Not really. There are a number of areas I would point to there. As our intrepid hero lives through the centuries, he meets historical characters, fairly improbably I thought sometimes. I have to say it reminded me a bit of Forest Gump meeting the presidents. The storyline jumps from the present to previous centuries too. Probably a necessary tool to tell this story, but at each jump, there's the risk of losing the reader's interest and having to engage again. The story, at times descends in to reflective mode and interest can wane there too. But I didn't find this terminal. Actually, in perspective, I think I'm nit-picking about what I found to be in the end, a good, engaging book. Freddie Mercury once sang "Who Wants To Live Forever?" No doubt whilst painfully aware of his own mortality. Who was he kidding? Despite the problems illustrated in this book, I'd give it a go. As, indeed, you should give reading this book a go. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful and Heartbreaking *by C***Y on 11 February 2018* This is a lovely story, beautifully written, a literary novel that is an easy read, not always easy to come by. I suspect that Matt Haig may have been inspired by old episodes of Dr Who, the David Tennant and Billie Piper era. Haig tells the story of Tom Hazard, seemingly in his early forties. In fact Tom is an Alba, someone who lives for centuries. There are hundreds of them secretly living among the rest of us. Albas have to change identities every seven years so that normal mortals don't realise that they aren't aging. This is something that has proved problematic over time, especially when people believed in witchcraft. In the present day Tom has a job as a history teacher, perfect for him as his memories really bring the subject to life. His new lives are arranged by the head of an Alba organisation, a sinister and controlling figure who demands obedience. Anybody who is likely to expose the Alba's secret is likely to be eliminated. The underlying theme to this story is love. Tom meets and falls in love with Rose, a feisty seller of roses and he loves her for centuries, long after she has passed away. Tom and Rose had a daughter, Marion, who Tom hasn't seen for a very long time. He is desperate for news of her. The story is really quite heartbreaking in places. The jazz age, the Edwardian era, Shakespeare, all of these elements bring the story to life but it is the characters human connection and love for each other that really makes this such a life-affirming read. ## Frequently Bought Together - How to Stop Time - Reasons to Stay Alive [Paperback] Matt Haig --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ph/products/456172820-how-to-stop-time-matt-haig](https://www.desertcart.ph/products/456172820-how-to-stop-time-matt-haig) --- *Product available on Desertcart Philippines* *Store origin: PH* *Last updated: 2026-05-05*