THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY: BOOK REVIEW
The holidays are always a time when I find myself reminiscing on the past, questioning my life decisions, and indulging in media that further enables me to do so. Some of my favorite movies are based on the premise of, what if this character made different choices and lived their life differently? The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a novel that fits right in with my regularly scheduled holiday media. Although not a holiday movie at face value, it follows many themes similar to what I outlined previously.
Matt Haig’s beautifully crafted fantasy book opens on the stereotypical downtrodden, burnt out, 30-something who finds herself wondering, “What have I done with my life?” We follow her through a typical day which seems just fine at the surface but, like many of us, Nora Seed knows she could have done better and is haunted by her regrets (these will come back later!) When she ultimately decides to make an attempt on her own life she is given the chance to choose a different life, a life where she made a different choice. Maybe she decided to pursue swimming instead of quitting as a child, or maybe she said yes to that date. There is even a life where Nora Seed is a rockstar. The possibilities are endless.
This premise is nothing new, but I was struck by Haig’s choice to make Nora’s home base throughout this process a library, her guide, her old school librarian, and the lives she chooses from books on the shelves. It was a new and refreshing take on a borderline overdone premise. It may not impress everyone, but as an avid reader and lover of libraries I found this extended metaphor satisfying and immersive. I especially enjoyed Nora’s summation of what a librarian is, “Librarians have knowledge. They guide you to the right worlds. They find the best places. Like a soul-enhanced search engine.” That is what she finds in the library in her old school librarian, someone to guide her choices, but not someone to make them for her. In The Midnight Library we follow Nora as she tries to find the right book, and therefore the right life, which I found myself envying deeply.
As Nora Seed tries on more and more potential lives, she learns more and more about herself and her regrets. I’m not sure if it was because I’m in a festive and sappy mood but I found the obvious and on the nose delivery of these lessons to be endearing. I could see, however, how this delivery may be grating to another reader who may not be primed to think so deeply about their own life.
Delivered in a second person narration style, Haig directly implicates the reader at times. When Nora begins to move from life to life at a faster pace she reflects on the experience, “You didn’t have to enjoy every aspect of each life to keep having the option of experiencing them. You just had to never give up on the idea that there would be a life somewhere that could be enjoyed.” We don’t get the option to select different lives, but we do have the option to try many things throughout our lives, which is what Haig tries to get us to see through Nora Seed. This book prompted me to think about the decisions I’ve made, and despite the fact that I have regrets, my life is my choices and my choices have informed my life and who I am.