The Midnight Library

A Novel

by Matt Haig

Hardcover, 304 pages

English language

Published Sept. 29, 2020 by Penguin Publishing Group.

ISBN:: 978-0-525-55947-4
OCLC Number:: 1159773625

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(62 reviews)

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library …

1 edition

Traces reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

This moved me...

5 stars

For real.

jterryn reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Very interesting book. It’s true that it does have a self help slant to it, but I think it works well to emphasize the overall message. Namely that life is worth living. I really liked the ending. I’m a sucker for life affirming stories.

Matt K reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

A simple arc of discovery and redemption

3 stars

We start in the dark and move out into the light.

The journey is straightforward and well driven, you have to just relax into it and be carried along the clear path and enjoy the sights that are clearly visible along the way, well marked and labeled.

Elevynn reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I loved this book, it made me feel.

ghostbetweenpages reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

I read The Midnight Library!

5 stars

I enjoyed this book :) it's the first thing I finished in about a year, and I am very glad I did.

_astronoMay reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

While it was easy to read and well written, it severely didn't live up to the hype. Came across as "depression can be cured by just realizing the life you're living is the best one" as if just deciding not to be depressed is a thing one can do.

Zelanator reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Most of this was really good, but it became tedious to me about half-way through. Too many Thoreau references (almost as if the author cribbed as many quotable quotes from some website into the book). The ending was fantastic, though, and redeemed this from being a 3-star read.

starscolapse reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Good and insightful

I originally never intended on reading this. As with most my reads I try to stay away from those overly hyped everywhere. But after reading the synopsis I thought what they hay. I am sooooo glad I did. The writing touched a heavy topic of regret and what if, but the authors way of playful and witty words helped smooth those sharp edges. The insight within this book had me highlighting quote after quote because it resonates with the reader.

Skedaddle reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

A bit heavy-handed, but enjoyable

Jamie reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I absolutely loved this book! It does address suicide, and I can't rightfully comment on that aspect. I merely found it spot on as far as what I have been trying to pin down through midlife... dealing with unmet expectations, questioning past decisions, etc. It's very philosophical, but that fits, as the main character is, essentially, a philosopher. And it still got my adrenaline pumping before the end.

asiem reviewed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

2.5 stars

[b:The Midnight Library|52578297|The Midnight Library|Matt Haig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602190253l/52578297.SY75.jpg|74043794] is one of those books that sets out to achieve something and loses the plot midway, becoming overly pedantic in the process.

The book begins with Nora Seed, a young woman, on the brink of making a terrible choice. Having been ousted from her job, found out that her beloved cat has been run over, that her estranged brother has visited the town she lives in without having reached out to her, and that her friendships have withered away, she resolves that life has become to heavy, too unbearable to even pretend to plod along. She leaves a note to whoever will find it, and puts out a vaguely ominous post on Facebook. She overdoses on antidepressants and...

...wakes up in a library. The Midnight Library, to be precise. An ephemeral place poised at the juncture of life and death, very bardo-esque. The library is immense in its scope, with endless shelves of books, all in varying shades of green. She is greeted by what appears to be Mrs. Elm, a figure from her childhood who she felt close to, and who was present at a crucial juncture in Nora's life. Haig delves into the concept of multiverses and quantum indeterminacy, and explores the idea that every time we make a choice, a separate reality is created for what would have been the potential or possible outcomes of that choice. Each book is a representation of a life that Nora could have lived, if she had made different choices.

"Every life contains many millions of decisions," says Mrs. Elm.

"Some big, some small. But every time one decision is taken over another, the outcomes differ. An irreversible variation occurs, which in turn leads to further variations. These books are portals to all the lives you could be living."

While in this Library, Nora is Schrödinger's cat, neither alive nor dead, and yet both. Mrs. Elm explains that she can explore these other options of could-have-beens, if she so wishes, and coaxes Nora to get to the root of why she currently feels this way. The book takes us on a journey of different Noras, each having branched off further and further in her past, as she took decisions (some key, some not-so-key) which altered the course of her life. We are introduced to happily-married-Nora, glaciologist-Nora, and rock star-Nora, among others. Along the way, she meets another person like herself, a 'slider' who slips between these different possibilities, and reveals that he infinitely prefers this to choosing a fixed reality, therefore exposing Nora to the possibility that the Midnight Library itself is a destination, a half-life or a halfway-house, as it were.

Nora spends what seems like an inordinate amount of time in the library, 'trying on' various realities, to see which one fits best. According to Mrs. Elm, she can continue to live on in any reality she desires, if she is happy there, but if she isn't, she will inevitably be pulled back to the Midnight Library...

...eventually Nora finds a life that suits her, one that she is happy to be living. No prizes for guessing which one it is.

Over the course of the book, the text increasingly becomes dogmatic, and attempts to explain 'good life choices' through Nora. Additionally, the book deals with mental health issues in a very linear fashion, not really exploring the intricacies of what it means to be depressed, or suicidal. As a character, Nora is not nearly complex or relatable enough for the reader to be invested in the book in any way.

Overall, an interesting concept (even if not the most original) which could have been approached with far more nuance.

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