I wish I had done that.
I wish I hadn’t done that.
These lines are familiar, aren’t they?
They echo in our minds, resounding the regrets from the past – regrets about things that we didn’t do or things we wish we hadn’t done. They can bring us down and hold us back from living our lives.
What if we could return to those moments, make different choices to correct our mistakes, or grab missed opportunities?
Matt Haig explored this idea in his book, The Midnight Library, combined with the themes of existential crisis, depression, hope, acceptance, and courage. Following the story of Nora Seed who had limitless chances to relive her life, Haig courageously articulated the verities of mental health challenges and life itself. He invites the readers to see the beauty of life with its imperfections.
Haig wrote several books with similar themes of mental health, hope, and resilience including How to Stop Time, Reasons to Stay Alive, and The Comfort.
More than 10 million copies sold, The Midnight Library is The Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller.
Book Description
“Between life and death there is a library.
When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.
The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.
Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?”
Source: The Midnight Library. (n.d.). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52578297-the-midnight-library
Discussion Questions
Describe Nora's life in the beginning.
Describe Nora's old friend who was her guide at the Midnight Library.
What are the rules at the Midnight Library?
What was the first book that Nora opened and why did it give her a lot of pain?
How many lives did Nora live?
What is the role of Nora in the creation and destruction of the Midnight Library?
How is the real-life version of the relationship between Nora and her brother and the book version of this relationship the same? How are they different?
Why do you think the author chose a library as the central hub of the story?
Was Nora frustrated with how her alternative lives turned out? Why?
What might have happened if the Midnight Library didn't exist?
How relevant is this book nowadays?
Millions of people are suffering from mental health disorders according to the World Health Organization. What is the implication of this problem for society?
What lessons did you learn from this book?
What questions would you ask Matt Haig?
Would you recommend this book? Why or why not?
Quotes
What I Loved
I love the story's themes, including mental health, self-awareness, and personal growth. They resonate with me. As humans, we are always trying our best to make the most out of our lives but there are just bumps along the way that could make or break us. When things don’t go our way, it’s natural to feel stuck in the mud but the most challenging part is how to get out of the murky situation. The book also touches on existential crisis and depression and how these help us grow to accept the imperfections of life and thrive by changing our perspectives. The story of Nora provides us with clues as to what we can do to survive and flourish when our lives are full of regrets.
The book transported me to the magical Midnight Library. Haig’s skills in painting vivid places through words added to the excitement of reading the book. I was fascinated by the mechanisms of the library and the rules it follows. I could see and hear the movement of the shelves and the books as Nora was about to dive into a new version of her life. The idea of a huge library with limitless shelves and books just blows my mind.
The characters are interesting and memorable. Nora was relatable. I could feel the pain from what was happening with her, especially in the first part of the story which revealed the depth of her struggles and the heavy feelings that she had been carrying. This struck a chord with me. Another character that I liked is the librarian who helped Nora navigate the library. She somehow calmed Nora down when the latter became scared or hopeless. Haig was able to create the librarian as someone whom Nora dearly knew and someone who was part of the Midnight’s Library’s mechanism. Then there’s Hugo who could see through Nora. He knew that Nora was jumping from one life to another. This increased the excitement of the story, and I was fascinated by how things would turn out for Hugo. But his story was not continued after the episode in which he appeared. I was hoping to see more of him.
What I Loved the Least
In one of his interviews, Haig shared that he also experienced challenges when it came to his mental health. He wrote some self-help books to share his thoughts and the lessons he learned from his experiences. In The Midnight Library, he incorporated some ideas about life and important truths about our mind through Nora who had a degree in Philosophy. Nora and the Midnight Library were like conduits of Haig’s life principles that are truly thought-provoking and life-changing. I love self-help books and books that talk about mental health, however, readers may find the parts when Nora and other characters expound on regrets, choices, acceptance, and life in general didactic.
Summing-Up
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Regrets are like open loops in our minds that never stop calling us by causing us pain. The moments of regret from our past seem to be always knocking on our painfully tender hearts, begging us to do something about the wrong decisions we made or the opportunities we missed. The most painful thing about regrets is they can’t be reversed, which leaves us hurt and stuck in the past.
But what if we could go back and choose a different path? Would it make things better?
Matt Haig courageously wrote about the great truths of regrets, existential crisis, and mental health through his book, The Midnight Library. The story is about Nora Seed, a 35-year-old Philosophy graduate whose life went crumbling down because of the things she couldn’t control. She decided to end her life but a few minutes later, she was transported to this magnificent library called the Midnight Library that had endless numbers of shelves and books. She was guided by her friend, someone she had known for many years, and the latter explained that Nora could go back and redo her choices. Each book that she opened showed the life that she wanted. But, to her surprise, it wasn’t what she expected. She tried several versions of her life to find the one that was best for her but she always failed. The question was would she be able to erase her past regrets and move on to her best life?
The book was a great reading experience for me as I love the themes that it included – books, life’s verities, mental health, philosophy, and personal growth. Let’s admit it. Life is difficult. However, life is bearable because of the stories of the people who overcame struggles and the books that provide us with insights into these struggles. As I was reading The Midnight Library, there were several times when I had to stop reading and reflect on a passage in the book. One particular statement hit me the most because I am such a true blue homebody. It says that if I stay in one place for too long, I will forget how vast the world is, and it can truly affect my mental health. The book calls me to go on an adventure, explore new places, and see that I am part of this magnificent world. I felt seen by Matt Haig.
Another thing that I love is the use of magical realism in the story. I really enjoy this genre. In the book, Haig beautifully describes the magical library with its limitless shelves and books. As I read, I could hear and see the movements of the shelves and happiness just washed over me. The idea of a library that is so vast with an infinite number of books is mind-blowing.
The characters are also memorable. Aside from Nora and the librarian, the character who stood out to me the most was Hugo. I was thrilled when he told Nora he knew what she was doing. Nora was not alone. Several others were also hopping from one life to another using different hubs besides the library. I was hoping to read more about Hugo but his story ended after Nora left the world he was in.
Haig was open about his mental health issues and he decided to write about it. His books such as Reasons to Stay Alive and The Comfort Book delve into his personal experiences with depression and anxiety, exploring the message of hope, resilience, and finding comfort in difficult times. This message is also evident in the story of Nora. The Midnight Library is a novel with a hint of a self-help book which others might find didactic. For me, these parts are thought-provoking. They invite us to reflect on our lives and do something to make it more meaningful.
Overall, The Midnight Library is a good read. Some parts sound instructive but they fit the general message of the story. So, if you are looking for an eye-opening, magical story, this book is for you.
Further Information
Book Information:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Published on May 9, 2023 by Penguin Books
304 pages (Paperback)