Karen’s Pick
March, 2021
The Midnight Library
Matt Haig
Published by Viking – September 29,2020
Author Matt Haig, writes an imaginative, thought-provoking novel about regrets and the choices we make in our lives . The genre of the book is a clever cross between Literary Fiction and Science Fiction ( with a touch of fantasy)!
With a title as intriguing as The Midnight Library, I needed to place this book on my “must read list”. Reading page one, confirmed my choice.
Nineteen years before she decided to die, Nora Seed sat in the warmth of the small library at Hazeldene School in the town of Bedford. She sat at a low table staring at a chess board.
“Nora dear, it’s natural to worry about your future”, said Mrs. Elm, the librarian, her eyes twinkling. Mrs. Elm made the first move . A knight hopping over a neat row of white pawns… “With brains like yours, you could do anything”.
Fast forward, nineteen years. Nora Seed is now a woman in her mid-thirties who is both financially and emotionally struggling. Nora believes herself to be incapable of successfully maneuvering through life, and with the seemingly tragic death of her cat, Nora commits suicide. Nora awakes to find herself in the Midnight Library, a place somewhere between life and death where all the shelves are filled with books that address Nora’s regrets and the life paths not taken. To help guide her through the never ending volumes is Mrs. Elm, her high school librarian, the most supportive person in Nora’s life. She explains the “rules” of the library. One regret at a time can be relived, and the decision to stay in that life or leave for another version would be final. Once abandoned, that book of regrets will disappear and another of the infinite books of choices would be available.
For this reader the story begins here. Imagine being able to rethink, redo, and revisit a situation such as, missing an appointment, ignoring a troubled friend, or making a spontaneous decision in one’s life that may have produced a very different outcome. What would we discover? Would we take the path laid out in our Midnight Library book? Would we be better for it? Would we ignore what we experienced and move on to the next volume of regrets which may be more or less of what we would hope?
The Midnight Library is most likely best enjoyed by the reader who is interested in thinking about life’s limitless possibilities and fantasizing about their own “what ifs?” I took this message to heart and re-examined my own (pretty great) life. Yes, there were a few decisions I would have liked to erase, and yes, there were a few experiences I wish I could reclaim. What about you?