Book Review: The Midnight Library

by Elaina, Grade 10

 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is an enthralling novel that takes us along Nora Seed’s journey of discovering life’s joys and sorrows, and most importantly what makes life worth living in the first place. She must look within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library, a library that exists between life and death, with Mrs. Elm’s help to find out. 

The Midnight Library has been on my reading list for years (partially due to its cool cover) but mostly because I was very intrigued by the possibility of living different versions of lives. Each book she opens in the Midnight Library allows her to step into an alternate life where she made different decisions. It was extremely fascinating to see what happened after Nora took paths she didn’t take in her original life.

The book begins with Nora Seed, a 32 year old who is stuck and depressed, still living in her hometown. She is on the brink of giving up in life, having lost her job and many of the relationships in her life. But she is given a chance in the Midnight Library, and she makes her way through many books (other versions of her life). Each one left her pondering and a widened perspective. She developed a more positive mindset in a way, and realized that she can still take action in her life, that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Most importantly, she learned how much she treasured relationships in her life, whether with her brother, former best friend, and others. Feeling love from the most important people in her life allowed her to ultimately discover that life isn’t so bad after all. Maybe the suffering and bad experiences makes the good even more special. 

Overall, I enjoyed the introspective nature of the main character, and the overall profoundness of this book. It offers a much more realistic take on daily life than many of the other books I’ve read do; although the themes and events can be a bit cliche at times, they are valuable lessons that are worth repeating. This book gave me more hope in life, and I would recommend! 

The Midnight Library