THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig

I don't typically write about a book right after I close the cover. There's normally at least a couple in queue (isn't that such a fun word?) in front of it waiting to be written about. Such is the case with The Midnight Library. However, there is so much to think about and ponder with this book that I don't want to lose all my thoughts by the time I sit down to write about it in a couple of days.

The Midnight Library is a very moving and deeply emotional book. It should be. After all, we're dealing with the subject of suicide.

Nora Seed is 35-years-old. Her life has been a string of one continuing disappointment after another, both to herself and her loved ones, so she decides to end it all. Leaving a note to whomever will find her, Nora injests a bottle of pills and waits for death. What comes next is completely unexpected. She wakes up in the Midnight Library. A place that is suspended between Nora's life and death. Manning the library is a person from Nora's younger years that made an impact on her life, the librarian from her elementary days, Mrs. Elm. On the shelves of the library stand an innumerable amount of green backed books. Some are thin. Some are thick. Two key books are present as well: The Book of Nora's Regrets and The Book of Nora's Root Life (her real life she has lived so far). The books on the shelves contain all the ways her life could have turned out based on the choices she had the opportunity to make. Mrs. Elm invites Nora to open any one of them, and experience any number of possibilities that could have been. This can continue until one of two things happens: Nora either selects one of those to continue her life in or she truly, physically dies. I'm not going to get into all the adventures she chooses to experience, but what I will tell you is that the book toys with the idea of "quantum physics" and "universal parallelism." In a nutshell, the idea that the universe is split into different branches that all bring about different outcomes, but that are all going on at the same time. (You science minded people can add better interpretation in the comments if you choose!) In this case, Nora has multiple versions of herself living in these different lives that she can access. The book doesn't spend a great deal of time focused on the reasons this happens, just that the different lives are available to Nora. The ultimate question in all of this is, given the right set of circumstances would Nora had lived a life free of the depression that dogs her daily steps in her real life?

So what hung me up about the book and what did I like? Obviously, for me, the idea of The Midnight Library is one that I don't buy into. As a Christian, I have one life to live. It is one filled with value and purpose for all because of our Creator. The idea of reliving our lives to correct our regrets is a bit of a concern for me especially when thinking about that someone who is already contemplating suicide picking up and reading this book. I will say *** SPOILER ALERT*** that the book ends with a kind of It's A Wonderful Life feel to it. So, if someone reads to the end, there will be value in what they find.

As to what I liked. There is one strong point that I found myself taking away from the book. How much of my life am I living under the expectations of other people? Nora finds that that is a common theme in her life. As a Christian, I should be living my life for Christ and not people. We all get twisted up in that mess at different times!

Overall, a lot to think about when it comes to The Midnight Library, but the book is not without its issues to consider as well.

HEADS UP- The use of the f-bomb is prevalent. Also, Nora sleeps with different men at two points in the story: one a fling, the other her husband in one of her lives. Neither have any intimate details. Also, Nora's brother is involved in a homosexual relationship that pops up from time to time. Again, no intimate details.