The Midnight Library: A Novel

Author: Matt Haig
Purchase: Kindle, Audiobook
Genre: fantasy

I got The Midnight Library from my local library’s Borrowbox, mainly due to the title and summary.

So which cover would you prefer?

A little about the story

The story starts with young Nora Seed playing chess with a librarian, and then bad news comes along. Written in 3rd person point of view, Nora Seed grows up to be a young woman who is struggling mentally.

Characters

The central character is Nora Seed, a girl who gave up her dreams. Nora is always in between things. She knows it is because she gives up too easily.

Dan is Nora’s ex-fiance, whom she broke up with when her mother died.

Joe is her brother, a little estranged at the moment, because of her decision to back out from the music band The Labyrinth.

Plot: Going to the Midnight Library

There is no illusion about what is going to happen: the author spells it out clearly. Nora suffers a horrendous day, thus cements her decision that she is a persona non grata.

Then she arrives at the Midnight Library, with the time on her watch blinking at 00:00. Nora finds the building appears to have an endless length. The person to greet her there, is Mrs Elm, the librarian who played chess with her.

Story

Using the multiverse theory, Nora uses her library books to experience the life could have been. The life that branches out when she makes a different decision.

With the aid of Mrs. Elm, Nora embarks on a cool journey of self- realization, all the while her physical body is dying in reality. Towards the end, she accepts the fact that she does indeed want to return to the living, but will she make it in time?

Thoughts

It is not a bad book, but it ain’t Harry Potter either. The pace could have been quicker, or at least make it less monotonous. The story is a rinse and repeat of pick a book, jump into it to experience an alternative life

I do not hate it, but this is not a book I will return to read in a year’s time. Sure, it might remind me to have courage and death is final, but that’s about it. Nora herself is not terribly interesting, but easily relatable.

The Midnight Library is for people who feel like they are not important, that people seem to forget they are there at times. The book seeks to tell readers that they do make an impact, and it is always the smallest things that makes the most impact.

Verdict

I am not sure about this one. I will let you decide.

In the meantime, I snapped this beautiful double rainbow from the window of my own home. Hope you find the gold on the other side =D