Page Turners – March 2026 review

In March the Page Turners read ‘The Life Impossible‘ by Matt Haig. This English author has written both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults. This novel was published in 2024.

The book centres on 72 year old Grace who lives alone after the deaths of her husband and only son. Out of the blue she hears that she has inherited a house in Ibiza from a long lost friend and she sets off to explore her inheritance. As Grace gets to know the island and meets people who knew her friend, the book changes. Having begun as a relatable story of an elderly woman coming to terms with the changes in her life and making a fresh start, the book turns into a story of fantasy, where magic and supernatural powers are used to support the local environment.

One of us very much enjoyed the whole book but most were not so keen on the fantasy section and would have preferred to see Grace embrace her new life and help to resolve the problems of the island in a more realistic way. However, an enjoyable writing style and some interesting characters meant that most were happy to finish the book and therefore we had plenty to talk about. What would we have done in Grace’s shoes? How would we have coped with the powers she acquired? Who would we cast in the film of the book? What is the point of a chapter with only three words? We also talked at some length about fantasy literature in general and considered why it has become so popular. As always it was an enjoyable afternoon.

Despite not being fans of the fantasy genre, we were still glad to have read this book and will happily commend it to you so do get in touch if you would like to swap our page turner for one of your own.

Deborah Wallis, convenor