The focus of the novel, however, is on its effects on human relationships with the inevitable parting of discordant love and lovers. Most of these aspects are explored in a timespan from early Tudor times to the present day. The condition, however, neatly protects those having it with very great disease resistance when young but severe headaches come with maturity and there is no avoiding the extended effects of very prolonged old age. One problem that is eventually touched upon, and would interest me at my age, is the possibility of an almost 200 year old age. Some would clearly relate to what others might think on becoming aware of someone apparently not ageing ranging from accusations of witchcraft through being a medical curiosity (elephant man?) to the possible source of a genetic key that might lead to huge profits in our contemporary youth-obsessed society. It all sounds pretty good until Haig unveils and explores what some of the problems of a 400-600 year existence might be. The central character is one Tom Hazzard who tells us that he has a ‘condition’ which is the opposite of the sad affliction that causes premature aging in children (progeria) in which the individual apparently ages only one year for every fourteen calendar years (anageria). This book is described as an historical romantic novel and it tries hard on both counts but for me it is still somewhat lacking.
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