Sarah Lotz

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I would have to say it’s because of the writing. I usually prefer a book told in third person rather than first, but this is an exception. There are definitely creepy moments, although the thought of crawling through tiny tunnels many feet under the Earth is perhaps the most scary moments, expertly claustrophobia inducing. A rather strange atmospheric ghost story with a protagonist who is more of an anti-hero. Despite this, you can’t help following show more Simon’s journey and even rooting for… I’m not sure what. Not Simon as such — although I’m not sure he deserved all that happened to him — but you still want something good to come of this. The story contains several threats and battles, including the climbing of Everest and questioning mental health. Not everyone will find the ending perfect, but I’m not sure how else the author could have concluded the book; for me, the biggest negative is that it felt almost too abrupt. As Stephen King has said, some books are best enjoyed for the journey rather than the destination and I can’t help thinking perhaps this is one of those, but I’m glad to have spent time with it and will read more by this author. show less

Before I ultimately write my own review, I like to run down the list and skim some of the others, just to get a feel of what's being said, as well as the overall consensus. It's interesting how many people ripped into this book for the exact reason I loved it.

This is not a book told in a conventional manner. It's collections of Skypes and tweets and transcripts and excerpts. The story is never direct. Instead, it's teased out, with clues dropped in one section, only to be explored in a show more completely different area. It's got an international cast.

And it's fascinating as hell.

I absolutely loved this book. I laughed at one review below where they wrote, in bold, I want my motherfucking mystery. I laughed at a second who wondered why this book was considered horror. I laughed, because had they read any of the novel, they would have clued in that there's mysteries wrapped in mysteries, and the horror, while quiet, is subversive. It creeps up on you without you ever hearing it.

So. I loved the characters. I loved the narrative device used to draw out the story. I loved the actual story. I loved everything about this novel.

Sarah Lotz, I now have to read everything you've written. Thanks, because I haven't even caught up on all the stuff Lauren Beukes has written, because she had the same effect on me after reading Broken Monsters.

It's nice to see intelligent horror making a comeback. show less

Before picking up Impossible I'd heard so many amazing things about it, to the point that I was concerned I might have built it up too much in my head. I'm happy to report that that was not the case and Impossible is truly a brilliant book.

One day Nick, chasing up unpaid fees for his writing services, sends a very sweary email to his client….except for some reason that email goes to Bee, a fashion designer with a disastrous love life. They find they have a rapport, something that's hard to show more come by in everyday life, and it seems like fate that they have found each other. After much email correspondence they decide to meet. So far, so fairly expected romance novel. It's what comes after the day they hoped to meet that makes this such an original and engaging high-concept love story…..and I'm not going to tell you what happens next, only to say that you should read this wonderful book for yourself.

Bee and Nick are ideal protagonists. I loved both but I particularly loved Nick's sardonic humour which had me laughing out loud many times, not just in his emails with Bee but in his interactions with friends, family, his irascible neighbour and his nit-picking landlady, not to mention his dog, Rosie. If Nick would make me laugh in real life then Bee is the kind of person who would make a great friend. She's thoughtful and kind and generally sweet-natured.

A delicious mind-twister of a read, plotted to perfection with characters that almost jump off the page, Impossible is something very special indeed. I was hooked from start to finish by Nick and Bee's impossible romance and the question of whether it could ever be resolved really ramped up the anticipation levels, leading to the really rather delightful ending. Never mind Impossible, this book is Unforgettable. I hope it becomes a bestseller. show less

I fell in love with Impossible (also published as Impossible Us) by Sarah Lotz a sublime romance with a fantastical twist.

When Nick sends an angry email to a late-paying client that is erroneously delivered to Bee’s inbox, her witty response and his sincere apology leads to daily exchanges, that quickly shift in tone from cautious and friendly to candid and flirty. Meeting in person is the obvious next step, but though they both claim to be waiting under the clock at Euston Station they show more can’t seem to find one another. While Bee assumes that her best friend, Leila, is right and she’s been had, Nick realises that something strange is happening…something impossible.

Unfolding through the email exchanges and first person narratives of Nick and Bee, Impossible offers a heartfelt romance thwarted by rules of physics. I don’t want to attempt a clumsy explanation of how this happens because you deserve to be drawn into their unconventional love story, and convinced by Lotz that the impossible is possible.

This is a book that appeals directly to the romantic at heart with numerous direct and oblique references to film and literary classics such as The Lake House, You’ve Got Mail, Sliding Doors, Rebecca, and Strangers on a Train, with a little David Bowie thrown in as a bonus, but nevertheless the plot feels creative and fresh. More serious issues are touched on too though including infidelity, suicide, domestic violence, and environmental harm.

I was entertained by the witty banter between Bee and Nick, and Lotz develops their chemistry with ease. Both protagonists are older than you might expect, Bee, a fashion designer with her own small business repurposing wedding gowns, is in her early to mid thirties, while Nick, a largely unsuccessful author, is forty-five. Credibly portrayed with a mix of strengths and flaws, they are appealing characters that I found easy to invest in.

Though quite different in tone and theme to her last book, Missing Persons, Lotz’s flair for original storytelling, dynamic characterisation, and expressive writing remains compelling.

Witty, poignant, surprising and absorbing, I recommend you embrace the Impossible. show less