by
The Gibbons worked their whole lives saving for their future. But at what cost? When it's time to retire and reap the rewards of every sacrifice Vole insisted they make, they discover Bay is dying, and her burning desire to see the world beyond small-town Dorset will die with her.
Grief-stricken, Vole is magically granted the ability to stop and restart time. Using his powers, he takes Bay on a journey to all the places she dreamed of seeing. But traveling through a time-frozen world has its dangers. Nothing water doesn't flow, fires don't spark, no one can move or die... except Vole.
When time stops, Vole grows old and unhinged; when time passes, Bay's life fades. In the ultimate race against time, Vole must carry them thousands of miles around the world and confront his inner demons along the way, or forever fail the woman he loves.
On sweltering nights, the humid kind we sometimes get here, we would leave all the windows open. The evening breeze would blow through, cooling the sweat on our bodies, transporting us somewhere far away and far more exotic as we lay together, trembling in bed.
Yes, the windows must have kept us here. That, and there was never enough time or money back then to consider going anywhere else.
Recalling how the day’s dying light would illuminate Bay’s face, calm and smooth as though she hadn’t a care in all the world, perplexes me more than anything else I’ve encountered. I saw this same sun yesterday. This seems impossible because I haven’t set foot inside the walls of our home in a quarter century. I’ve been gone almost twenty-five years. How can it be I’m the only thing that’s changed?
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that the word impossible is as real as a sun that never sets, waves that never crash, a dreaming soul who never sleeps.
READ MOREI would say I’m a stranger in my own home, except I’m not. Everything is exactly as I left it, one day ago. Not even the most thirst-quenched blades of grass on our postage-stamp lawn have grown since I saw them last. I’m coming home not as a stranger, but as a lost soul who has found absolution
— I’ll stop myself there.
COLLAPSEJennette Reid on Goodreads wrote:“Beautifully well done, thought-provoking read. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that the word impossible is as real as a sun that never sets, waves that never crash, a dreaming soul who never sleeps.”
5 out of 5 stars
"After spending their whole lives together making sacrifices and saving up for a better tomorrow, Vole discovers his time remaining with his wife is limited, and "tomorrow" is the last thing he is prepared to face. With the reality of losing his wife taking hold, in his grief, Vole begs the universe for more time. Inexplicably, and not immediately known to Vole, this wish is granted and he discovers he has the ability to suspend and restart time. As the magnitude of this newfound power sets in, Vole realizes he has been given a means to grant his beloved wife her lifelong dream of travelling the world, and himself the chance to atone for his past. It doesn't take long for Vole to realize the price he must pay for these powers. With time stopped Vole continues to age, and experiences loneliness so immense that he struggles with his own sanity. With time passing, Bay becomes increasingly frail and Vole experiences the most excruciating pain he has ever known. I loved every second of my time with this beautifully written story, and even the time between when I could contemplate Vole and his journey. Consider Vole's situation. When the impossible just is, could you bear the weight of loneliness and push your body beyond its limits with no-one to witness your achievements? Could you continue on your journey day-by-day with nobody to support you? Could you maintain your sanity, your humanity, with nobody to answer to? Set in a small town in Ontario, Canada, yet spanning the globe, this adventure is reminiscent of a philosophical would-you-rather* and explores the devotion it would take to fulfill your partner's dreams, spending vast amounts of time in solitude for the pleasure of savoring some of your remaining seconds, minutes, or hours together."