The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Matt Haig has written several novels, including How to Stop Time and a children's novel called A Boy Called Christmas. His most recent book, The Life Impossible, was released in 2024 and is already a bestseller, and his next book The Midnight Train is set to be released in May of next year. The Midnight Library has become a #1 New York Times Bestseller and was chosen as a Good Morning America Book Club Pick. It is on Independent's Ten Best Books of the Year for 2020 and was winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for Fiction. The Midnight Train takes place in the same world. The Midnight Library deals with cancer, death, drug abuse, grief, and a suicide attempt.

Nora Seed cannot deal with life. She is overwhelmed with regret about nearly every choice she's ever made. Giving up swimming, quitting the Labyrinths, calling off her wedding to Dan only days before she was supposed to walk down the aisle, not going to Australia, not going on a gap year. You name it, she regrets it. And now, her cat has died. She can't even keep a cat alive and they are known for being pretty self sufficient. There's nothing to do but end it and put everyone out of their misery. But when she dies, she is transported to a magical library with only one other person inside - her old school librarian Mrs. Elm. In this library, she can choose any life she wants. She can erase any regret that she has by choosing to be in a life where she made the right choice. This way, she can find the perfect life for her. But what she finds is that life never quite goes the way you planned it.

What a lovely novel. I absolutely devoured it. Nora is such a wonderfully filled out character who has great character progression. Can it be difficult to watch at times and a little frustrating when she just is not getting the message, yes, but it was ultimately very satisfying. And the setting was wonderful. I loved the way the book was laid out, as Nora chooses the things she most regrets and stumbles through the life in which that particular regret never happened. It tackled a serious topic that I think everyone struggles with at some point but does it in a light-hearted and entertaining way.

I'm giving The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 4.75 stars out of 5. I laughed, I cried, I scoffed, I did all the things. And it made me think about some of my own regrets in a new way. Will I read The Midnight Train which comes out next year? I'm not sure. I feel like this book was a great standalone and I'm not sure a sequel will make it better.

For more from Matt Haig, see https://www.matthaig.com/

Pairs well with pao de mel (Brazilian honey cakes) and owning a down to earth cat.

My favorite quotes:

“Happy memories can turn into pain, given time.”

"Google it! Google grasshopper suicide!"

"But deep down she was proud of this other version of her for dumping an A-list movie star."