The Midnight Library
Matt Haig
Published by Viking (August 2020)
Summary
Nora Seed's life is not going the way she had planned. When her depression turns to desperation, she attempts to take her life. She ends up in a library between life and death, filled with books to explore the other pathways her life could have taken if she had made different choices (some big, some small) along the way.
Nora is tasked with exploring the library and trying out the other lives she might have lived. She will travel from story to story until she finds the one that feels just right. Is the perfect life out there?
Evaluation
Pros
Beautiful writing.Great premise.
Fun and entertaining.
Cons
Thoughts/Review
A fun cover and a great premise drew me to add The Midnight Library to my TBR. It was a good choice. I had a wonderful time reading this one and didn't want to put it down. It moves quite nicely at a medium pace and has great emotional content. There are moments of high tension, but it is mostly a ride that pulls at the heartstrings and made me contemplate pieces of my own life.
Haig's writing is beautiful, but accessible. It feels comfortable while still creating a vibrant atmosphere and shaping Nora's character in a masterful way. I could have used a bit more development in the supporting characters, but they were not completely flat and did add some value to the story.
The exploration of lives and the use of Nora's librarian friend, Mrs. Elm as a guide were executed very well. I savored the progress of this book and just found myself sinking in to the narrative.
The ending was somewhat, though not completely, predictable. It was a good, solid close to the story, but not quite as powerful as I would have liked. Still, the journey itself was magical and impactful and I very much enjoyed my reading experience. This is a book that will find itself a permanent place in my collection.
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