The Midnight Library
A Novel
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4.2 • 616 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Between life and death there is a library.
When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.
The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren’t always what she imagined they’d be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.
Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
It’s not every day that a novel makes us rethink life itself. Pushed to the limit, Nora has decided to end her life, but she isn’t prepared for what happens next: waking up in a library stacked floor to ceiling with books, each containing a different version of how her time on earth could have played out. With touching warmth and surprising whimsy, Matt Haig’s fantasy sweeps us up in Nora’s journey as she explores her potential paths, hoping to find the one that would have led to happiness and fulfilment. Of course, no life story comes without some struggle and sadness, and Haig’s novel constantly reminds us of that bittersweet, beautiful wisdom. Poignant, funny, and a little bit odd, The Midnight Library had us in tears—and we wouldn’t change a word.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Haig (How to Stop Time) draws on quantum wave theory in this charming if sometimes laborious account of the many possible lives of a depressed woman. Nora, in her mid-30s and living in the small English town of Bedford, suffers from "situational depression" though, as she wryly observes, "It's just that I keep on having new... situations." After she gets fired from her job and her cat dies, she attempts suicide, only to wake up in a book-lined liminal zone, where she is guided by a librarian: "Between life and death there is a library... Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived." There, Nora discovers what would have happened had she not abandoned her promising swimming career, called off her engagement, or left the rock band she started with her brother. Each time an alternate life disappoints or doesn't feel quite right, Nora exits, reappearing in the library to continue browsing for the perfect story. While the formula grows repetitive, the set changes provide novelty, as Haig whisks Nora from Australian beaches to a South American rock concert tour to an Arctic encounter with a polar bear. Haig's agreeable narrative voice and imagination will reward readers who take this book off the shelf.
Customer Reviews
10/10
Such an incredible book, with such a beautiful message. I read it in two days and yet it will stick with me forever. Thank you Matt Haig
Abit too predictable, but may appeal to the right audiences
To be honest, I did not like this book. But at the same time I do respect the author and the story that was told.
On the first point - I think this book has an element of predictability that made it difficult for me to resonate with. I’ve seen this story a few times before, in a few different versions among pop culture and fiction. It doesn’t help that it was culturally very British, with a character that I don’t particularly resonate with.
At the same time reading this, I do see who the core audience is, and what the author is trying to convey to them. And as fictional as Nora is, I have encountered a few very real Noras in my life that could understand the appeal in this book’s story that I couldn’t.
So if by reading an apt description of this book, you feel like you are Nora in your own way of life, then I think this book will speak to you.
A Truly Wonderful Read
I was passed this book while on a trip overseas. I began it after I returned, and during the unpacking phase. I could not stop reading it! It is remarkable and will have a lasting impression!