An unusual bequest drives a retired widow to abandon her English bungalow and move to a glitzy Mediterranean island in Matt Haig's magnificently plotted mystery, The Life Impossible. Haig explores "love, fear, grief, guilt, [and] forgiveness" in a satire-fueled drama layered with otherworldly mysticism.
Former math teacher Grace, a self-described "crotchety old Brit," is the last person who would seek adventure. She hasn't felt pleasure since her son, Daniel, died in a horrible accident decades ago. Her life is upturned when an old colleague, Christina, bequeaths her a house in Ibiza, Spain. The circumstances of Christina's death, however, remain mysteriously unclear. Grace surprises herself by setting off for Ibiza.
Her quest takes on a magical aura when she meets Christina's friend Alberto. She reluctantly goes scuba diving at midnight with him, and he shows her an ancient seagrass meadow, brilliantly illuminated by an ethereal force beneath Ibiza's waters. Environmental activists want to save the meadow from a malevolent businessman eager to exploit it for profit, and Grace finds herself the unlikely heroine of their epic crusade. The mystery of Christina's disappearance, it turns out, is connected to the impending ecological threat.
Grace's story, as recounted in her correspondence with Maurice, a former student, sparkles with humor at the absurdity of everyday life and marvels at the miracles that unfold when unexpected opportunities are seized. Therein, Haig (Notes on a Nervous Planet; How to Stop Time) reminds readers, lies the true magic of being alive. --Shahina Piyarali