This is a book of alternate possibilities. It examines the important question of “what if” that constantly plague our lives. What if, I had done gone on path A and not B? Would my life be significantly better? We as humans are on a constant quest to improve our lives. There is always that “what if” lurking in the background when we are up against an obstacle in the life we have settled into. Matt Haig has masterfully woven a story that follows the female protagonist Nora Seed as she examines the many paths she could have taken in the midnight library. So what exactly is the midnight library?

It is a library at the edge of the universe with an infinite number of books that examine the “what if’s” in Nora’s life. The book’s introduction describes it as follows:

Between life and death there is a library… And within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices…

The story starts with Nora’s life falling apart with the death of her favorite cat and breakup of her boyfriend. With no one to love, she decides it’s a good time to die. Nora poignantly states “I make life worse for people” (p.23). Just as she decides to do so, she gets trapped between life and death in the midnight library, with its librarian Mrs. Elm. The books according to Mrs. Elm, “are portals to all the lives (she) could be living.” (p.31).

A couple of lives later, Nora realizes that she is still miserable. She yearns for a life where she is successful. Mrs. Elm explains, “…you can choose choices but not outcomes.” (p.83). This I thought was rather profound, given that we all wish for a chance to undo our regrets not really understanding that we have absolutely no control of the intended outcome. At the end of the day we are where we are because it’s where we are meant to be.

The story continues with Nora visiting the many lives she could have lived. In the process, she tries to find one she is happy in only to realize in the end that whatever life she ended up choosing it was not free of pain, despair, heartbreak, loneliness or grief.

The story concludes with a rather heartfelt post written by Nora titled “A thing I have learned”. I am not going to spill out its contents here in the review. I would recommend this book to anyone. Especially those going though a rough patch questioning the purpose of their existence.

While there are many quotes and extracts that ring true, I am going to conclude this review with the one I feel is most important:

Life begins…on the other side of despair

Overall rating: 5/5

Fact box
Author: Matt Haig
Release date: 13th August, 2020
Genre: Philosophical fiction