One of the most highly anticipated releases this year, The Midnight Library promised a low-fantasy, magical realist take on It's a Wonderful Life.

The premise from celebrated author Matt Haig is that 35 year old Nora commits suicide, only to find herself in the Midnight Library - a place where she can see all the possible lives she could have had, and find one that she might be happier in. The book is based off Haig's own mental health experiences and has been billed as heartwarming, moving and uplifting, showing us that life is worth living.

So does it live up to all of the hype? The world built in the novel is carefully constructed, and the rules of how Nora experiences all of her lives quite explicitly set out. Inevitably, Nora discovers that the in the lives she dreamed of with success, fame and fortune, she is not always happy. At first the novel is not quite as uplifting as promised, and it would be easy from the early chapters to assume that the moral is how all lives are disappointing. However, by the end Haig does hit the mark, and we do ultimately get the heartwarming story we were promised.

It is fun to vicariously live through all the lives Nora could have had - glaciologist, rockstar, Olympic swimmer, amongst others.
Of course it makes you reflect on your own life, wondering what actions might have sent you a different way and what regrets you find yourself clinging on to. In a way it is quite a cathartic read, but also one that you need to be in the right headspace for.

Many people have completely adored this book and it is easy to understand why. Matt Haig vindicates us for our regrets, or the decisions where we wonder what could have happened, instead pointing out that we should be valuing all the possibilities we still have. For some the tale could be deemed a little twee, but Haig grounds his tale in philosophical theory, lending it an edge that stops it from feeling entirely like a fairytale.

In a year where everyone's lives have been rattled this book has become a tonic and duly so. It is an ideal read for anyone who needs to reset their perspective, or even just needs a pick me up, this year.

I've always enjoyed Matt's writing so it felt like Christmas when I got a chance to open this. It's a great big warm hug of a book, with writing that creates vivid pictures of the worlds. The titular character is immediately relatable and the story flows so well that its hard to put the book down. Theres so many quotable lines and so much to enjoy, it's without doubt a book that I will go back to many times and recommend to others. Still retaining the charm of earlier books like The Radleys and The Humans and the empathy of Reasons to Stay Alive. This is a nourishing book for the soul as well as a great read.

One of the best books I've read this year. It was so easy to read I was hooked straight away wondering where Nora was going to end up. Beautifully written, you go on a journey, or rather several journeys with Nora as she tries to figure out what would be her best version of life. A very thought provoking book that by the end leaves you feeling very positive about life. An absolutely superb read.

A moving and life-affirming novel that will stay with you for years to come. I absolutely adored it! The Midnight Library is unique and wondrous in its premise and characters.


Caught in the place between life and death, Nora enters the Midnight Library, where the books are endless and the possibilities infinite. There she meets the Librarian (who curiously looks a lot like her old school teacher.) Each book, she is told, represents a variation of her life, different paths, possibilities, things that might have happened, lives unlived.


Guided by the Librarian, Nora samples several lives, discovering who she could have been but most importantly discovering who she is now. In this life.


This is a ruminative, emotive book that has so much soul. Matt Haig explores the depths of the human condition, his prose poetic and moving!


Highly recommend!

Let me tell you about a library that sits between life and death, giving you the chance to sample different versions of your life if you had made a different decision. The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's latest novel, tells the story of Nora who has given up on life but ends up at the library. She is given a chance to undo the regrets she has been carrying around with her to find the perfect life but maybe there isn't such thing as 'perfect.' This is a touching and warm novel that explores regrets, family relationships, self confidence, and mental health. If you're looking for some hope at the moment and something to warm your insides then this is the book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for supplying me with a copy of this book.

Wow! This book was absolutely beautiful.

I listened to the audiobook of this book across one afternoon and I never wanted it to end.

This book made me feel so many emotions. I felt so sad and heart broken listening to this girls distress, partly because I understood what she was going through and her thought processes.

The concept of the midnight library is so original and clever. I loved this idea so much.

Even though it was heartbreaking at times to read, the overall message is heartwarming and positive.

It really made me think and take a moment to reflect on my life and its possibilities.

Such a beautiful beautiful book. I can't recommend it enough. Although if you are in a really dark place I feel the start of the book may be quite triggering for some.

TW: suicide and depression

Thanks Matt yet again you’ve excelled! What a fabulous book... touched me in so many ways and will be remembered for life! So pleased this book has done amazingly well, you deserve every accolade! Well done you

Despite having read many a great thing about Matt Haig (and saved almost every other instagram post of his) over the years, The Midnight Library, was my first dalliance with his works of fiction. Covering themes such as suicide and depression, this book catalogues the quandaries of a 35-year-old Nora who - at the end of a seriously s**t day - decides the world is better off without her. However, rather than leaving the world per se, she enters the mysterious "Midnight Library", a place that exists between life and death. Here, she is offered the opportunity to change any decision she's ever made and to live her life anew - limitlessly. Essentially this books explores those age-old questions, if you could go back in time, would you do anything differently? More importantly, if you did, would you be any happier?

Firstly, I think I would have been hard-pushed not to have felt uplifted by this title. Although its premise is very sombre (honestly, I cried for the first few chapters), the way in which these universal emotions of sadness and dejection are explored, provides the reader with an opportunity to similarly consider the regret they have in their own lives. We too must learn that every decision is made for a reason and that to obsess over the past is to deny ourselves happiness in the present. Indeed, no life is perfect in itself. As such, Haig expertly combines the empowering knowledge of How to Stay Alive - discussing his own battle with depression - with the imagination of the science fiction genre; this book has the power to change lives. Whilst reading this book, I was actually reminded of something, Alain de Botton, once said on Elizabeth Day's podcast. He said that the problem is that we tell everyone that they can can be anything that they want to be. Unfortunately, this instills a sort of quest for the extraordinary that leaves people disappointed when things don't go to plan. They mourn all the things they could have been. In this way, Haig offers a touching narrative that speaks of the joys to be found in just living and making one small decision at a time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I thought it was a bit predictable and, at times, repetitive. Haig's overall existential message is inevitably empowering. However, I personally found some passages a little preachy and, basically, reiterations of the same self-help quotes we see everyday. If you haven't read How to Stay Alive, I would actually recommend reading The Midnight Library first. This is because, although Haig's experiences with depression influences a lot of his work, I suspect there are far more crossovers between these two particular titles, due to the discussion of suicide and the value in living. Unrelated to this, is the predictability of the plot. Of course, this could simply be the sign of great foreshadowing, but (for me) I would have liked to have been surprised a bit more - particularly when the time-travel aspect provides such narrative freedom. Nevertheless, these are very minor gripes in the grand scheme of things, because I loved the concept of this title and the "feel-good" feeling it ignites in its readers.

More than eager to be initiated into the 'I heart Haig' fan club, I gobbled this book up when it was gifted to me by Canongate, and I'm so glad I was. Through Haig's compassionate prose, I have been taught anew about the expansiveness of life and its magical interconnectivity. This experience is all enhanced with the delicate collaging of theological philosophy, pressing mental health issues and environmental change, all of which affect us globally. Haig has a brilliant way of shining light into the darkness; a power he has been able to acquire through having been in this turmoil himself. All I can say is, reading this book will not be a decision you regret.

...but it may leave you ugly crying in a coffee shop.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. Sprawling and ambitious with a core concept so wonderful there wasn't even an ounce of surprised to hear it's being adapted for screen - it's a tale that cuts straight to the heart of what matters in life.

Sometimes you find a book, a really rare book, that speaks to you on a deeply personal level. The Midnight Library is that book for me. Given the opportunity, would you go back and follow a different path? Would you take up the chance to follow a different life by changing just one decision? That's the chance Nora faces in the Midnight Library. Caught somewhere between life and death, she must face all of her fears and decisions. It's a story of regrets, anxiety, loss and grief. But it might also just be about hope too.

Matt Haig's battle with his own mental health has been well publicised by Matt himself, and you can see a lot of his own personal struggles within Nora. It's what makes her so real and relatable. At the start of the novel she's struggling tremendously with her mental health. In a dark hole of depression, she's struggling to get to grips with how exhausting her life is. She has no hope left, nothing to fight for. And in that moment she makes a decision, possibly her final decision, which leads her to the library. I've never fried so much as I did following Nora's story. Seeing her dreams, her changing ambitions, all while still struggling with anxiety and depression. I felt so seen as an ownvoices reader. Nora is a reflection of myself, even down to the same medications, and we both have similar thoughts of anxiety and regret. At times she's so fragile, so exposed to a world that isn't ready for her, and I felt every cautious comment and surge of hope alongside her. She's perhaps the most carefully developed and complicated character I've ever read. The secondary characters, even down to Volts the cat, share this complexity and only add to the deep well of emotions at play here.

The story itself is built around Nora, and grows organically as she does. Her journeys to different lives become more strange and extreme as Nora changes, and with each life we learn something new about her. I think my favourite life is her time spent with an equally mysterious traveller in a chilly climate - who opens up Nora to a completely different way of experiencing life. That said, every experience Nora has feels important and relevant to the plot. No sentence is wasted in showing us Nora's worlds and the potential she has. It's a potential we all have, but it can be difficult to find when were cut down by inner thoughts and demons.

I don't think I could profess enough about how much I love this book. It's become a new all-time favourites and I can't thank Matt Haig enough for so perfectly capturing my own mental health issues in a character that is instantly relatable and complicated.

Being popular has never really been my thing nor has following the crowd.
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With that I know my opinion of this book will be with the minority.
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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig arrived with such fanfare and a bang. I like the majority of his fans was really looking forward to read his latest work.
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Nora Seed suffers with depression and after her cat dies decides that there is nothing worth living for and to end her life. She is stuck between life and death in the Midnight Library and is given a variety of options.( don’t want to give away too much )
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For me I found it lacked any real depth. The concept of it is brilliant I cannot deny that. The whole in between life & death is certainly something that interests me. But Nora as a character I just couldn’t shine to her. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel about her- was I the reader meant to feel sorry for her or not. I got frustrated with her more than anything.
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Did not dislike the book I felt more disappointed than anything.
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I know this will be an unpopular review but it is an honest one ( like all my past reviews)

I received a digital copy after I requested it from Netgalley, however that will not affect the review. My opinions are my own.

It has taken me months to digest this book and try to write a review about it. If Matt Haig wrote only fiction and he wasn’t such a visible advocate for mental health I would not have had the problems that I had trying to know what to write about it. Hence, for this review purpose, I just wanna be very clear that I am considering this book a FICTION and completely separating it from any closeness to reality.

TW: suicide, attempt of suicide, self harm scars, alcoholism, minor character death.

The premise of this book its what draw me to it: “If you could go back in time when you had to make a choice, and this time you could choose the other option, would you?” Simple as that. There is a library whose books contains all those hypothetical situations that never came to be on this reality but, might as well have been the real one in another timeline.

To be completely honest, the most dazzling part of the book was the idea of the book itself. All the moral and ethical dilemmas that it brought into consideration. I tend to think easily that any time past was better, and hence I tend to regret most of my decisions remembering the ones I took as the bad ones so I would love to go back, choose the other option and see if that path would lead me to what I know think of happiness. It is such a great idea. I absolutely enjoyed all the questions and problems that Nora’s decisions created and solved.

On the other hand, however, I did not quite connect with Nora as much as I would have liked. I noticed too much the hand of the author behind the character driving her around if that makes sense. For me, it wasn’t a character making her own choices but she going through some points that she had to reach just because. I did not feel that she was driving the story, and so, the choices that she would make, according to her personality, where not the choices that she would en up making. So there was to some level a very hard disconnection for me. And when I don’t connect with the main character it makes it all much more difficult for me to enjoy the book itself.


It was definitely a very original read with an amazing plot and very well written. One that I would be definitely recommending because I know that the reasons why I didn’t enjoyed it as much, were purely tied to my taste.

Matt Haig does it again! This is a magical book that is equal parts heart breaking and heart warming. It’s a hug in book form, a balm for the weary soul. Wonderful.

Matt Haig always offers fun takes on topics that could be heavy going in someone else’s hands. This was no different. I enjoyed his look at a notion of a failed life, and how that can overwhelm you, how introversion can lead to huge regrets that might actually be solved. This was an easy and quick read, with an engaging lead character.

An imaginative, intriguing novel that kept me turning the pages late into the night. Matt Haig writes with a real understanding of the human condition, and this book is (I really believe) his best yet.

The idea of the Midnight Library is a compelling one - that you get the opportunity to experience different lives resulting from the biggest or smallest of decisions made throughout life. It's a fascinating concept which could potentially, (as he depicts so vividly) have the most unexpected of outcomes. It would spoil the journey taken when reading the book to describe any of these alternative realities in detail, but I will say as a cat lover that the eventual revelation about the feline friend is satisfying in a way I couldn't have anticipated.

I've already recommended this book to numerous friends and added to my book groups reading list. I'm also planning to gift some copies for Christmas.

Poor Nora Seed. As the book begins, we learn Nora, a young woman in her 30s has decided to die. Over the opening chapters we find out she is depressed and she thinks her life is worthless. She feels she has failed, has let people down and is needed by no-one. She takes an overdose and on the stroke of midnight, she finds herself in the Midnight Library.

Filled with books, the Midnight Library gives Nora the chance to try out some other lives, the ones she could of had if she had made different choices. With the help of her old school librarian, Mrs Elms, she starts to undo every one of her regrets by living lots of lives, returning to the library every time she realises why each one hasn’t made her happy.

Nora is actually an extraordinary woman! As a teenager she was an Olympic standard swimmer. She is a talented song writer, singer and musician. But she has suffered from depression throughout her life and has never been able to follow her dreams (or even truly know what they are).

“Librarians have knowledge. They guide you to the right books. The right words. They find the best places. Like soul-enhanced search engines.”

Well I’m sure there are no surprises here, but we all knew I was going to love a book set in a magical library didn’t we? 😍 As a librarian myself, I’m a huge fan of libraries and library based stories. I love the idea of the Midnight Library and as I was reading was thinking about the regrets I have in my life. I’m not sure any of my alternate lives would of being as exciting as Nora’s but I guess we’ll never know!

Matt Haig is well know for his honesty about his own experiences with depression and suicidal thoughts and he has done an amazing job here of writing an emotional yet ultimately uplifting book based around mental health. Read at a time in my life where I’m looking back and pondering the decisions I’ve made, the overwhelming message of this book, made me realise I couldn’t be anywhere better.

Anyone that knows anything about Matt Haig will be well aware of his struggle with mental illness – his raw, open dialogue on his social media accounts makes him one of the most active male voices speaking about the subject in the public arena. And, although normally such a fact would be inappropriate to bring up in a review of his work, The Midnight Library is undeniably shaped by the depression that has dogged him for most of his life.
Haig’s experiences unquestionably form and instruct the overwhelming ennui of protagonist Nora: a thirty-something-year-old woman who is at the end of her tether, broken down by darkness and despair, and more than eager for a way out. However, what she was not expecting when she decides to end her life, is the magical, infinite Midnight Library – a portal to all of the lives she could have lived, and all of the regrets she could have followed. It is a conflicted place: one that should evoke the fantasy of Disneyland or Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, but which is still confined by the darkness of Nora’s depression.
Haig’s forays into science-fiction are always a sight to behold, especially in the way that they are so often removed from mainstream tropes. Similar to his previous novels The Humans and How to Stop Time, The Midnight Library manages to be both expertly crafted and evocative, but still wrapped up in a kind of sadness that underpins the narrative arc. Thoughtful, raw but ultimately hopeful, its readers will likely not forget the message of the Midnight Library for a long time.

"It would have made things a lot easier if we understood there was no way of living that can immunise you against sadness. And that sadness is intrinsically part of the fabric of happiness. You can't have one without the other. Of course, they come in different degrees and quantities. But there is no life where you can be in a state of sheer happiness for ever. And imagining there is just breeds more unhappiness in the life you're in."

Nora is living what she perceives to be a pretty mundane, useless and dull existence. She tries to commit suicide and, hovering between life and death, finds herself in a library, The Midnight Library. In the course of her time in the Midnight Library time stands still. Nora is confronted with the regrets of her life. She gets to undo a regret and go back and live the life she might have had, had she not made the "bad decision" she made, and she keeps getting to try all her lives until all her regrets are gone, but ultimately she keeps ending up back in the Midnight Library because each alternative life disappoints her equally as much as the life she is trying to leave.

Wow. This book. THIS BOOK. It actually spoke to me (not literally but you know what I mean :) ). It was phenomenal.

We all have what if's, decisions we have made in our lives that we question whether we did the right thing or not. What if I did this or didn't do that, or I went this way or that way instead, Some decisions pay off, some don't. Dwelling on them can take you down a dark road. You alone have the power to change your perception of things, you alone have the power to change, to become and do anything you put your mind to. BUT don't underestimate your impact over others, the power and consequence that may be conveyed through your kind word, your helpful gesture, your empathy, your compassion, your tolerance and literally your affinity towards a fellow human being,

The message this book conveys is so moving and uplifiting, and so, so important, that I can't stop thinking about it. A superb fictional book about life and our regrets, our hopes, our dreams and our what if's. This is such a relatable, emotional and powerful read for absolutely everyone, from teens upwards. Definitely a must add to your TBR list. ALL THAT STARS. A wonderful read.

Phenomenal. I love Matt Haig as an author anyway but this book is incredible. As a person who has suffered from mental health issues and depression I implore people to read this. It is a beautifully written book and the underlying issues are in most people's lives. 10 out of 10, honestly the most important book I've ever read. Will recommend it to everyone.
Thank you Matt for helping and continuing to help people. Mental health really does matter.

The Midnight Library is the brand new novel from British author and positive mental health campaigner Matt Haig. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for an incredible forty-six weeks. His children’s book A Boy Called Christmas is currently being adapted to screen by Studio Canal for Netflix and is scheduled to hit screens this December.


Synopsis

We meet Nora at the lowest point in her life, hours before she decides to kill herself. After letting down her brother and his best friend, walking away from her fiancee, giving up on a professional swimming career, being stuck in a dead end job and now, finding the body of her beloved cat, what’s she got to live for? If no one will miss her and living is one pain after the next, why not let her situational depression win and bow out?



However, after the world fades to black, another world comes to light. She’s in a stunning library, with books in every shade of green you could imagine. The library is deserted apart from one woman, Mrs Elm, her former school librarian.



Mrs Elm explains that Nora is frozen in time in the Midnight Library. Balanced on a thin line between life and death, she has the opportunity to choose another life. Every book in the library holds another version of her life; an infinite world of possibilities where she could fix all the mistakes she’s made. She takes the opportunity to find the right path and starts with testing out the marriage she walked away from.



“Between life and death there is a library… Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived.”


Review

I’ve been a massive fan of Matt Haig’s work since 2013 and a proof copy of The Humans was sent to me at the bookshop where I worked. The Midnight Library manages to capture some similar themes to The Humans in a new refreshing way, and this is just one of the many reasons I adored it.



The Midnight Library is an uplifting novel made up of brief chapters that keep you hooked. I’ve struggled with concentration and reading for long periods during lockdown and these bite-sized chapters really helped. As with all his books, Matt’s beautifully fluid writing makes for effortless reading and gives the impression that the whole book possibly just flowed out onto the page in a few days (while I’m sure isn’t the case!).



I think every reader will find something to relate to in the lead character, Nora. We’ve all hit hard times when we’ve been unable to see the positives in our lives because they feel so outweighed by the negatives. She’s so convinced that her ‘mistakes’ have ruined her life, that she’s of no importance to anyone and she just can’t pull herself out of that mindset. However, the Midnight Library allows her to correct those ‘mistakes’; highlighting how the grass is not often greener (even if the books are). It’s only after she’s tasted so many different lives does she begin to understand just how beautiful her original life was. She was loved and loved in return, but that important fact had gotten lost in regrets.



The Midnight Library is an incredible story about seeing the beauty all around us and the kindness we should give ourselves and others. If lockdown has left you a bit jaded or you simply want to read something uplifting, then this is perfect; heart-warming without being twee and with a wonderful message that never feels preachy.



With The Midnight Library, Matt Haig has written a mental hug of a novel that we could all do with right now.



If you liked The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, you’d love The Humans by Matt Haig.