The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a philosophical, multidimensional novel about life, regrets, and choices. The story asks: what if, at the moment of death after living an unfulfilled life, you could choose a different lives where you made different decisions?
Nora no longer wants to live. After taking her own life, she wakes up in a library filled with books containing alternate versions of her life based on different choices she could have made. The novel reminded me a lot of The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, which is also about someone discovering the impact their life had on others only after they die.
This is ultimately a feel-good book despite dealing with heavy subjects like suicide and depression. Its overall message is one of hope, second chances, and appreciating life. You could also compare it to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
The story is told entirely through Nora’s perspective as she enters these alternate lives. She always arrives at midnight, but because she is still the same Nora from the library, she has no idea what version of her life she has entered. At first I really enjoyed this concept. It adds some comedy as Nora tries to piece together where she is and who she has become. Eventually, though, it became repetitive watching her go through the same process every time.
The loose plot frustrated me. The novel spends a lot of time wandering through lives that ultimately don’t matter. Some of those detours are interesting, but many of them are not. Nora could also be frustrating as a protagonist. I often wanted to yell at the page, “Do you realize the opportunity you’ve been given?” She eventually grew on me, and I liked her by the end, but it took a while to get there.
The novel is filled with thoughtful quotes and philosophical discussions, many centered around Henry David Thoreau’s Walden and the game of chess. My favorite line is: “Pawns aren’t weak, they are a queen in the waiting.”
The ending was very satisfying. It perfectly captured what the novel had been building toward and included several callbacks to characters Nora met throughout her alternate lives, which I really appreciated.
The Midnight Library was first published on August 15, 2020, by Viking.
Why did I read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig?
The Midnight Library was my wife’s pick for the month and is one of her favorite books. It was already on both of our minds because our favorite actress, Florence Pugh, was recently announced to play Nora in the upcoming film adaptation.
I had also been curious about the book for years. It won the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction in 2020. Matt Haig recently returned to this universe with The Midnight Train and has announced plans for one more novel set in the Midnight World, making it a trilogy.
Plot Summary:
Nora Seed lives with countless regrets. She regrets leaving her fiancé just days before their wedding, quitting the band she started with her brother, and many other decisions that have shaped her life. Believing her life has no purpose, she decides to end it.
Instead of dying, Nora awakens inside an endless library containing books that represent alternate versions of her life. She is greeted by Mrs. Elm, her former school librarian, who explains that she has entered the Midnight Library. Every book represents a life she could have lived had she made different choices. After being shown the Book of Regrets, Nora is invited to choose a life where one of those regrets never happened. She quickly discovers that every choice creates an entirely different future.
What I Liked:
The ending was excellent. Everything Nora experienced built toward a satisfying conclusion, and I loved seeing the callbacks to characters from the alternate lives.
Mrs. Elm was my favorite character. I was always happy whenever Nora returned to the library.
I also liked the introduction of another character who was experiencing multiple lives. That added an interesting wrinkle to the concept.
What I Disliked:
There was simply too much philosophy. When the philosophical ideas naturally served the story, they worked very well. When characters stopped to philosophize for pages at a time, I found myself losing interest.
Nora repeatedly waking up confused about where she was became repetitive. Three times would have been enough. After that, we already understood the concept.
Nora herself was difficult to like early on. It took a long time before I truly empathized with her.
Recommendation:
The Midnight Library was just okay for me. I knew where the story was heading, and thankfully it delivered on its ending. The journey getting there, however, was much more uneven.
I think the premise is brilliant. The execution simply didn’t live up to the idea for me.
I’m still very intrigued by the movie adaptation, especially with Florence Pugh playing Nora.
This isn’t a book I can wholeheartedly recommend to my followers. If you enjoy philosophy, like my wife does, then I think you’ll get much more out of it than I did. We talked about the book afterward, and I told her I thought there was too much philosophy. Her response was, “That’s exactly what I liked about it.”
If you’re looking for a similar story, I actually recommend The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Despite the title, it isn’t overly religious. It’s a focused, emotionally powerful novel that delivers a clear message and encourages readers to appreciate the small moments in life.
Rating:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
3 out of 5
Leave a Reply