The Midnight Library was the first Matt Haig book I picked up, and I reluctantly admit that I was disappointed. This was one of those books that I flew through (I’m talking one sitting at the beach), yet didn’t really love. I didn’t particularly enjoy the journey of this book, though I was content with the ending that Haig chose.
TW: suicide and suicidal ideation, depression, self-harm, alcoholism, drug abuse
This story follows Nora Seed, a thirty-five year old woman who feels so stuck in her monotonous life that she chooses to end it. One night, when her neighbor knocks on her door informing her that her cat, Voltaire, was struck by a car, she decides enough is enough. In the haze that follows her ingestion of too many pills, Nora finds herself in the Midnight Library, a seemingly magical place run by her former elementary school librarian, Mrs. Elm, whom she grew very close with during her school years after her dad died. Mrs. Elm guides her through the process of the Midnight Library, where Nora is able to open up any book on the shelves, containing every single possible variation of Nora’s life that could have been. Some versions are nearly identical to the version Nora left behind, and some are world’s different. Each drive her to contemplate her past decisions and interrogate her regrets. She is allowed to explore these alternate realities at her leisure, and stay in them as long as she wants. Each time she enters a new alternate universe, everyone else acts as if she has been there all along, because in that universe she has. She even finds one she almost decides to stay in forever, but the feeling of being an imposter of the “real” Nora in that world holds her back. She has to decide whether to stay in one of the alternate worlds, or risk taking too long to pick and the library fading away forever, along with Nora herself.
This book was thought-provoking, reflective, and sad. My heart was heavy the whole time I was reading, but the need to know what happened to Nora in the end kept me turning pages despite the ache in my chest. I really appreciated Haig’s take on mental illness and regret. This book was like no other examination of life’s decisions that I have ever experienced, and opened my eyes to a new way of viewing life and thinking about regret. Haig’s writing was insightful and beautiful, especially the imagery of the library itself. Though it wasn’t a favorite in the end, I am glad that I decided to give The Midnight Library a go.
Rating: 3.5/5 alternate universes
xx, Lauren
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