The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a really interesting book to read. It really makes you think about the choices you’ve made in your life and any regrets you might have. After reading this book, you probably won’t think about things in the same way again. So here’s my book review of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.
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Overview of The Midnight Library
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a really interesting book, and definitely one that made me think. I really enjoy reading books that make me think about life, so as soon as I heard about this book, I knew it was one for me. And it didn’t disappoint.
The Midnight Library follows the main character, Nora. In the first few chapters we’re introduced to her current life. She lives alone after a recent break up, works in a shop and doesn’t like her job. She’s definitely not happy, and she is reflecting on the choices she made in her life that led to this point. We learn that she could have been an Olympic swimmer, or been part of a successful band, but chose not to pursue these paths. Instead, she is living a life she doesn’t like. After her cat is hit by a car, she (trigger warning) decides to kill herself. But instead of dying, she ends up in The Midnight Library.
There, her old school librarian takes her through the different lives she could have had, if she had made different choices. She gets to experience what her life would have been like if she’d chosen to pursue swimming, or if she’d stayed part of the band, or if she’d become a glaciologist in the Arctic, or lots of other options as well. But in each, life she finds something disappointing. And the moment she feels disappointed, she ends up back in The Midnight Library to choose another book/life, in the hope that she’ll find the perfect one.
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Why this book makes me think
Reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig definitely made me think about my own life and the choices I’ve made. Like Nora, I had ambitions when I was a child that I didn’t end up pursuing. And I do sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if I’d made different decisions. Things could have been very different.
A big focus of this book is about regrets. Nora picks out books that undo a regret she has about life or a regret about a decision she’s made. And that made me think a lot. For me, a big regret I have is about not travelling more when I was younger. I definitely didn’t make use of my long university holidays to travel. I could have done so much more travel in that time, and visited so many different places. I’ve done quite a lot of travel since finishing university, but I still sometimes wish I’d started earlier.
So many people I’ve met seem to have similar regrets about not travelling more when they had the chance. Reading this book really makes you think about those regrets. And for me, it inspired me to move forward with my life trying to minimise regrets. I don’t want to get to ‘my’ Midnight Library and be full of regrets about my life like Nora. Instead, I want to travel as much as possible.
However, one thing that surprised me when reading The Midnight Library was that I didn’t want Nora to end up in any of these lives. I wanted her to go back to her original life and make that work. And that surprised me, because so many of these other lives were so much ‘better’ – she was famous, or successful in her career, or married with children. But I still wanted her to go back to her original life. And again, that made me think about my own life. Despite all my regrets or the times I wish I’d made different decisions, I’m still fond of my life. It’s still my life. And all those decisions are part of what has made me ‘me’. I wouldn’t want to suddenly move to a ‘better’ life and lose everything I have in this life. In a way, this book made me appreciate my current life more. Of course it’s not perfect, and of course there’s more I’d like to do and achieve, and of course there are a few things I wish I’d done differently. But it’s still my life. And in the end, that’s what matters the most.
What I wasn’t so sure about
In The Midnight Library, Nora explores a lot of different lives. There’s a chapter called ‘The Many Lives of Nora Seed’ that go through lots of possible lives in just a sentence of two. And that got me thinking – would one person really have that many different lives? I know we all make a lot of decisions, and there are a lot of possible lives we could all have. But aren’t some things just so out of character for us, that there’s no way we’d decide to do that? I’m not sure there’s any possible life where I could be a famous rock star – that’s just not me. But for Nora, it seems that all these options are possible, and hundreds more.
In one life, Nora even has cancer, in another she has depression, and in other lives she has different illnesses – implying that it was a decision she made that meant she got these illnesses. But aren’t illnesses sometimes genetic and not based on our decisions?
That was the only part of the book that I questioned – just how many completely different types of lives one person could have. I think that our character and personality traits mean some lives just aren’t possible, and some health-related things are genetic and not down to out choices. I don’t think I believe that we have that much control over everything just by our choices. But that’s a whole new philosophical debate about free will and fate…
Would I recommend The Midnight Library by Matt Haig?
Yes, I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. It’s a great book to make you think about life. And for me, it was a great book to help me appreciate the life I have, and also to think about my future decisions so I don’t end up living with regrets.
The book does deal with some sensitive issues, such as mental health and suicide. So just be prepared for that. But in the end, I found it a happy book that left me with positive feelings. And a renewed appreciation for life and desire to make sure I live every moment to the fullest. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!
If you like the sound of this book, buy yourself a copy for the weekend here! (affiliate)
If this book has inspired you to think about travel, it’s time to start planning your next trip! The UK is a beautiful place to travel, with beautiful scenery in Wales and Scotland. Or you could visit some of the amazing cities in Europe, such as Prague, Berlin or Vienna. The USA is full of amazing places as well, like the Florida Keys, San Francisco and the Olympic Mountains. Start planning your travels and live life with no regrets!
