Review: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

'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... Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?'

A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

Paperback, 288 pages

Published August 20th 2020

 by Canongate Books Ltd.

3.5/5 stars

"She learned that undoing regrets was really a way of making wishes come true."

I am feeling somewhat apprehensive about sharing my thoughts on The Midnight Library. Maybe that's why its taken so long, I read this back in January.  With so so many of my peeps giving this book 5 stars and for some more it they could. I'm here with my 3 1/2 stars, which means in the middle between 'I liked' to 'really liked' and that's still good, right?

This book started off great, I connected with Nora right away as she has one bad day after another until she can't take it anymore.  The concept for the book was unique and I loved the midnight library and what it represented.  How timing, the choices we make and even a change in routine can lead to different outcomes.  Maybe my expectation level was elevated but this book went on and on and on some more. I think that's what got me was the length, even though its really not that long.  I just felt it was repetitive after a while and could have been shorter.

The Midnight Library is a book about regrets and what if's.  For those with depression/suicidal thoughts this could be a trigger.

This book was part of my 2021 Reading off My Shelf Challenge.