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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is an easy read but one that can give you much to think about. I enjoyed it myself but it probably won't be for all readers. I'm not sure why I picked it up but having "library" in the title is sure to get my attention.
Nora Seed has given up on life. She lost her job, her cat died, and she has a lifetime of regrets. For her,
Regrets don't leave. They weren't mosquito bites. They itch forever.
She decides to end her "useless" existence but instead of oblivion she finds herself in a library of endless shelves, all containing books bound in some shade of green. She is met by a woman identical to her old school librarian, Mrs. Elm. Mrs. Elm explains
Between life and death there is a library, she said. And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be different if you made other choices ... Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?
Nora is presented with a very heavy book, The Book of Regrets. The bulk of the book deals with Nora's explorations of what ifs. In the process, Nora explores, multiverses, quantum wave functions, and philosophy — Nora studied philosophy at university. Nora gains insights about herself along the way but I'd rather not go into detail because it would be a disservice to the reader.
A book like this has the potential to be painful or affirming. I think it would be very difficult to not think what your personal Book of Regrets would contain. How heavy would it be.
The Midnight Library could have been one of those new age self-motivation Hallmark moments books that I avoid. It really isn't one of those books that deliver a message drenched in saccharin. A blurb from The Washington Post on the book's Amazon page call it "A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits." I wouldn't characterize it that way at all. Personally I dislike the phrase "feel-good" in most cases. I found The Midnight Library an engrossing read that will have me thinking about it for some time. A commenter on a Facebook book group said what I was fumbling toward: "Easy to read but encouraged a lot of deep thinking and reflection on the side. For me, it was painfully reaffirming - a book I needed to read at a particular point in time." She nails it and I will add that I found it impossible not to see something of myself in Nora. Heather Caliendo over on the Book Club Chat has a good review. She calls it "a very heartfelt and touching novel" which I guess is close to feel-good but not quite. I would also apply a phrase Heather says about another of Haig's books, How to Stop Time which she calls "a little melancholy". That works for The Midnight Library as well. Read Heaher's review here.
I expect opinions will vary wildly. I would really like to hear from someone who didn't like the book.
Oh, and as a retired librarian, Nora says something to Mrs. Elm that I got a kick out of
Librarians are soul-enhanced search engines.
I never thought of us exactly that way before.
Keywords: self-realization, multiverses, quantum wave functions, fantasy, libraries
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