Book Review: ‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig

We love a good book recommendation! Louise works at Hassocks Library and recently enjoyed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. From the author of How to Stop Time and Notes on a Nervous Planet, this novel is about a library that sits somewhere between life and death. In the Midnight Library, Nora is able to live as if she had done things differently and undo each of her regrets.

Read on to find out what Louise thought of it!

This is a wonderful book if you want to try something different and thought provoking.

Nora Seed is full of regret and despair and at the lowest point she could possibly be when she finds herself in the Midnight Library with the one person in her life who she felt she could trust. The books in the library enable her to explore her regrets, change decisions she has made and experience her life in a parallel universe. If she finds a good life, she can stay.

As she explores these different lives, we watch her confront the things she feels she has missed and the effect she has on the lives of the people she loves. Nora focuses on the big regrets she has carried with her all her life, but comes to realise that it is often the small things and joys in life that are most important. The book does not linger long on the science behind the story but rather on Nora and her anxieties, hopes and dreams, and what she learns to enable her to live her best life.

The book seems to be truly relevant today with so many people struggling with depression and anxiety. It made me laugh at points and cry, but best of all was the feeling of hope which I took away. It is a unique novel, a very thought provoking story of forgiveness and second changes. One that makes you ponder on the different paths you yourself might have taken and wonder for a while.

If you’d like to give The Midnight Library a go, reserve your copy to collect for free from your local library by visiting our library catalogue. If you’d prefer an eBook, it’s available in our eLibrary too!

What have you read for the challenge recently? Let us know by sending in your own review, sharing it in our Facebook group or tweeting us @WSCCLibraries using the hashtag #MidSussexReadingChallenge!

We’re also delighted to share that the reading fun won’t be over in 2021, as we’re launching the Adur and Worthing Reading Challenge 2021! Find out more and sign up here.

The views expressed in this review are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of West Sussex Libraries.