An unexpected setting for purgatory, The Midnight Library gives you a glimpse into the many lives that could have been for Nora Seed.

Overall great!

This was a good book and it kept my interest but unfortunately did not wow me. The life lessons were well woven into the story.

Loved

This was a very interesting topic. The story line was original. I enjoyed reading the book. It gives one pause to stop and think about choices you have made in your life.

This trope has been done so many times. I liked it, but it didn't grab me and hold my attention.

It made me reflect on my own life and regrets and think about what I would do differently. The middle felt like a plateau and the ending was a little anti-climactic.

Great ending. Really interesting premise.

The Midnight Library, Matt Haig, author; Carey Mulligan, narrator
Between life and death, there is a place that offers an interlude for some people. For each person, however, the venue is different. For Nora, it is in the Midnight Library. Nora Seed is very disappointed with how her life has turned out. She has been a quitter. She could have been an Olympic swimmer, but she chose to quit swimming; she could have been a famous songwriter and performer, but she chose to quit the band. She could have traveled with her friend or been a wife and mother, but she chose to abandon her friend Jody and her boyfriend Dan. Now, in her mid-thirties, her life feels empty. Her parents are dead; she and her brother are estranged, and her beloved cat, Voltaire, has died. To make matters worse, she has just been fired from a job that was actually a dead-end anyway, but at least it supported her. Though it is not quite a mid-life crisis, she sees no hope for a happy future and is desperate to end it all. She decides to take her own life.
When she suddenly awakens, she is surprised to find herself not dead, but in a library with the librarian from her former school. She is told that she is in the Midnight Library. The librarian had always given her good life advice, and Nora admired her. Now, once again, she was quietly advising Nora. It seems that all of the books on the shelves around her are about Nora’s own life, about the things that she regrets either doing or not doing. She is challenged to choose as many of her regrets in life as she likes, and to relive them, experiencing them in a different way to see how her life would have turned out with another choice. She might like a life she visits, and she might be able to stay there, or she might not and will find herself back in the library. It seems that she has many parallel lives going on around her at the same time. Her choices and her feelings will determine what happens in her future, as her choices have already determined the outcome of her present life.
Nora always seemed to find it difficult to follow through with her obligations. She made plans and didn’t keep them, and often quit midstream, leaving her teammates, her bandmates, her friends, workmates and family very disappointed. She now has to decide whether or not she wants to live or die, but ultimately, she may not be the one to make the final decision, only time will tell. The clock has stopped at midnight. If it starts to move again, Nora will live or die. Nora does not want to make the decision.
Reading this book brought to mind two ideas I tried to teach my children. Never put yourself in a position to say “I wish I had,” which sets you up for disappointment, and “pencils have erasers” because we make mistakes and can correct them. In this strange library, which might be something like what religious people think of as “limbo”, Nora will relive some of the moments of her life, the ones that offered the greatest challenges that she failed to face head-on. She just might be able to make a course correction. As she reviews her life, she may be able to grow and understand more about her the reasons for her choices. Will she be able to change the path she is on and live, or will she succumb to her sadness and regrets?
When Nora describes life as a tree with branches and twigs that alter the trajectory of our lives, depending on which branch or twig is followed, I wished she also had included blossoms that might come forth, to make it a bit more upbeat and hopeful. Still, the book is an interesting read about the meaning of life and the direction it takes for each of us. We are all ultimately responsible for our own success or failure, our happiness or sadness, our life or our death. We should choose life because there is always another day, and there is always hope for happiness. In Judaism, we say to life, l’chaim. Life is first and foremost. Life is precious.
The book has progressive themes, but they aren’t intrusive as they are in many books today. Simply, Nora’s brother is gay and she is interested in protecting the environment. It is occasionally too long and repetitive, but its anti-suicide message makes the book really worthwhile. Life is good. There is always another opportunity. Be positive and go forward. Don’t look back with regret. Things can change positively tomorrow. Stay alive.

An easy read with an interesting premise. Provokes introspection and gives the reader an entertaining ride.