'The Midnight Library' by Matt Haig - Book Review

 

My copy of The Midnight Library 

 

“…It seems impossible to live without hurting people."

 

“That’s because it is.”

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Synopsis:

‘Between life and death there is a library,’ she said. ‘And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices…

‘Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’

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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was nothing short of an exceptional and impactful read for me. Besides being a compelling story with the intriguing premise of being able to undo all your regrets, it touches upon some very real life topics like mental health, people pleasing, regrets, grief, resilience and the importance of our thoughts.

Let’s start off with one of the most important things, or rather, people: the Main Character.

I really like Nora Seed and found her to be quite a dynamic character. Matt Haig captures some real human emotions through the eyes and inner monologue of Nora, the way she reacts and responds to the things happening in her world. The way she was written made her immediately relatable as opposed to reading a spineless book character. For example, despite not yet having a cat of my own, I was really able to sympathize with the pain and grief she felt about losing her cat, which to her, was more than just a cat. Nora also suffers from depression, which is commonly experienced in our generation, and which I personally have an acquaintance with. That factor also contributed to Nora’s relatability. It also made way for quite the satisfying and rewarding character arc and growth that I look for in a character. 

Another character I absolutely adored was Mrs Elm, the librarian. Such a wise gem, and she knew exactly what she was doing when Nora was visiting the midnight library. Mrs Elm didn't really have a character arc per se, but she was an equally important character whom without the story couldn't have gone ahead. 

I also loved the way this book was written. Sharp, quick chapters that left me wanting to know more, and that were easy to read. There's nothing I despise more than chapters that seem to never end, unless they're written exceptionally well. Having just come out of a book I couldn't get through for that exact reason, I was skeptical towards The Midnight Library, but immediately fell in-love. 

This novel really spoke to me, as a recovering people pleaser. It really opened my eyes to what can happen when we spend our lives pursuing dreams that are not our own just to make somebody else happy. 

“If you aim to be something you are not, you will always fail. Aim to be you. Aim to look and act and think like you. Aim to be the truest version of you. Embrace that you-ness. Endorse it. Love it. Work hard at it. And don’t give a second thought when people mock it or ridicule it. Most gossip is envy in disguise. Keep your head down. Keep your stamina. Keep swimming.”

This quote smacked me in the face. How many times have we compared ourselves and tried to imitate or be more like someone else? But the world doesn't need copies. The world needs our unique and important voice. 

I also loved that Matt Haig touched upon the importance of untangling the opinions, thoughts, and beliefs of others from our very own. He talks about how certain beliefs and thoughts are passed down through generations. Haig shows that some of the beliefs about ourselves and life in general are not indeed our root beliefs, but someone else’s, which we have taken as sacred truth. Nora Seed realizes that the beliefs and attitudes towards life that she has clung to for so long, the same beliefs and thoughts that had shaped her reality until this point, were not indeed hers, but passed down to her. She saw an opportunity to break free from generational self-limiting, and self-sabotaging thoughts and beliefs. Isn’t that inspiring to us? Looking into our core beliefs and where they come from is a powerful (and often life changing) process. What a powerful moment in Nora’s character arch! I really enjoyed watching Nora go from a character who didn’t see the value in her own life and in being alive, to (re)discovering the value in the small things. 

"Never underestimate the big importance of small things."

Overall, I would rate The Midnight Library a solid 5/5 stars. It was absolutely everything. I would press this book onto anyone I know, it's crucially relevant to our day and age and is really some food for thought.

I hope you've enjoyed this review. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Have you read The Midnight Library or are you planning to? If you're read it, what did you think?

Until next time,

Sabry.