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Matt Haig

(b.1975)

Matt Haig was born in Sheffield in 1975 and grew up in Nottinghamshire. He has lived in London and Ibiza, where he worked for the Manumission club. He now lives in Leeds. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Sunday Times, the Independent, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Face.

Awards: Blue Peter (2009) see all

Genres: Children's Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult Fantasy, Horror

New and upcoming books

May 2026

The Midnight Train
(Midnight Library )

Series

Shadow Forest
   1. Shadow Forest (2007)
     aka Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest
   2. The Runaway Troll (2008)
     aka Samuel Blink and the Runaway Troll

Boy Called Christmas
   1. A Boy Called Christmas (2015)
   2. The Girl Who Saved Christmas (2016)
   3. Father Christmas and Me (2017)
   A Mouse Called Miika (2021)

Truth Pixie
1. The Truth Pixie (2018)
2. The Truth Pixie Goes to School (2019)

Evie
Evie and the Animals (2019)
Evie in the Jungle (2020)

Midnight Library
The Midnight Library (2020)
The Midnight Train (2026)

Novels

   The Last Family in England (2004)
     aka The Labrador Pact
   The Dead Father's Club (2006)
   Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest (2007)
   The Possession of Mr Cave (2008)
   The Radleys (2010)
   To Be A Cat (2012)
   Echo Boy (2012)
   The Humans (2013)
   How to Stop Time (2017)
   The Life Impossible (2024)

Collections

Haunted (2011) (with others)

Novellas and Short Stories

The Ghost Walk (2012)
Exquisite Corpse (2013) (with Naomi Alderman, Stella Duffy, Joe Dunthorne, Stuart Evers, Vanessa Gebbie, Alex Preston, Kamila Shamsie, Marcel Theroux and G Willow Wilson)

Series contributed to

World Book Day 2020
Evie in the Jungle (2020)

Non fiction show

Omnibus editions show

Books containing stories by Matt Haig

Dear NHS (2020)
100 Stories to Say Thank You
edited by
Adam Kay

Here I Stand (2016)
Stories That Speak for Freedom

The Anniversary (2016)
edited by
Veronica Henry

More books

Awards

2009 Blue Peter Book Award for Book of the Year : Shadow Forest

Award nominations

	2025 Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize (nominee) : The Life Impossible
	2025 British Book Award Fiction Audiobook of the Year (nominee) : The Life Impossible
	2021 British Book Award Fiction Book of the Year (shortlist) : The Midnight Library
	2018 British Book Award Fiction Book of the Year (shortlist) : How to Stop Time
	2014 Edgar Award for Best Novel (nominee) : The Humans

Matt Haig recommends

Skipshock (2025)
Caroline O'Donoghue
"Skipshock isn't just a book. It is, literally, a new world to dive into, and one so exquisitely conjured that you feel you live there for a while. A suspenseful, romantic, charming, and really unique tale. Will make you hungry for the next one. Strongly recommended."

Muckle Flugga (2025)
Michael Pedersen
"A lyrical, windswept novel of a lighthouse keeper and his son that is both small and big in all the good ways. A story about place, about family, about love, the forces of change and so much more. You can feel the energy and life in every sentence. Michael Pedersen is a rare writer of real passion and power and this debut is phenomenal."

Luminous (2025)
Silvia Park
"Wildly and, yes, luminously emotional."

Scripted (2024)
Fearne Cotton
"A great high concept novel . . . a smart and funny story about taking charge of your own life."

You Are Here (2024)
David Nicholls
"The genius who gave us One Day has written another classic and funny love story, set on a ten-day hike. You breeze along and get caught up in it like a leaf in the wind. Joyous."

Better By Far (2024)
Hazel Hayes
"Hazel Hayes is a great writer. . . . Bittersweet is the vibe, and she does it with rare class."

Speech Team (2023)
Tim Murphy
"It is a dream to read and Tim Murphy cares so much for his characters that you absolutely believe they live. Which, thanks to snappy dialogue and emotional characterization, they do. Ultimately, it is a book about growing up and how we do it. I am a total newbie to the world of Speech Teams but I loved this book."

The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (2023)
Tom Hanks
"This is a wild, ambitious and exceptionally enjoyable novel. A story about how stories happen, with a swirling kaleidoscope of characters across the best part of a century, and a real beating emotional heart. It has a lot of astute and fascinating things to say about comic books, movies, show business, America and human beings. I loved every page."

Cat Lady (2022)
Dawn O'Porter
"I love the way Dawn writes. Even speaking as a dog man, I thought Cat Lady was an absolute joy to read. It is warm, funny and challenges a few stereotypes along the way. I also now want a cat."

Breathless (2022)
Amy McCulloch
"Breathless is a high-altitude, high-stakes thriller that combines fascinating, authentic mountaineering experience with pure thriller entertainment. The suspense rises like the Nepalese mountain it is set on. Reminded me of the best of Michael Crichton, where in-depth knowledge and a masterful plot work together to create a tense adrenaline-fuelled ride. I loved it."

Magpie (2021)
Elizabeth Day
"Magpie is a clever, suspenseful read with a brilliant central pivot and a keen eye for relationships, including the toxic ones. A compelling, twisting read."

The Book of Form and Emptiness (2021)
Ruth Ozeki
"Heart-breaking and heart-healing—a book to not only keep us absorbed but also to help us think and love and live and listen. No one writes quite like Ruth Ozeki and The Book of Form and Emptiness is a triumph."

The Hiding Game (2019)
Naomi Wood
"A wonderful writer."

Tilly and the Bookwanderers (2018)
(Pages & Co, book 1)
Anna James
"A thrilling, inventive book-lover’s delight, where fiction really does come to life. It’s a treat for readers of every age."

The Light Between Us (2018)
Katie Khan
"A bold new talent."

Dead Girls (2018)
Abigail Tarttelin
"Tarttelin is a natural storyteller."

Another Place (2017)
Matthew Crow
"Wow. Read in Bloom now. It will change your life."

Tin Man (2017)
Sarah Winman
"This is an astoundingly beautiful book. It drips with tenderness. It breaks your heart and warms it all at once."

The Summer Of Impossible Things (2017)
Rowan Coleman
"A lovely, magical, time-bending read...There is a lovely smooth glow to the writing."

The Last Act of Love (2015)
Cathy Rentzenbrink
"Brilliant...A triumph."

The Illusionists (2014)
(Fearsome Dreamer, book 2)
Laure Eve
"Laure Eve's imagination is dazzling."

Meatspace (2014)
Nikesh Shukla
"Meatspace is funny. Damn funny. You should really switch off your computer and read it."

Charm Offensive (2014)
William Thacker
"I'm always a sucker for redemption stories but this one is highly entertaining life affirming and -yes -charming. On this evidence. William Thacker is a name you will hear a lot more often."

We Used to Be Kings (2014)
Stewart Foster
"A very powerful book, written with a poignant intensity that often burns."

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