The Midnight Library: A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

So many options can be pursued when evaluating a book. Did the author create believable and consistent characters? Did the author manufacture vivid scenes and detailed locations? Did the author include Easter eggs for the reader to find, anagrams of names (like in the Series of Unfortunate Events) or a play on words or an alliteration or metaphors or similes or puns? Did the author include references to real world events or people or places that the reader can connect to? Did the author explore a familiar concept in a new way? Did the author give the characters words to say that connect with the reader and their view of life? Did the author overuse actual dialogue or internal monologue to explain the story instead of relying upon actual action.There are so many options for the reviewer, just as there are so many options for the main character in this book. Nora Seed finds herself in a library at the stroke of midnight, with lots of books around her and a librarian from her childhood, Mrs. Elm. Each book represents a different version of Nora’s life, a life of joys and sorrows, people and places, events and tragedies that spawned from a single choice, a decision, or in the case of this girl so full of regrets, something that didn’t happen because she didn’t make that choice.Of course, there is the root life, the life that Nora remembers living, a life full of disappointments and settling, that led to her attempted suicide and her visits to the Midnight Library. A moment in between, where she isn’t alive and in her body yet she isn’t dead (with the finality that means for self and others). And there are all of those other lives that she now gets to explore, lives where she doesn’t remember any of that Nora’s life, but finds herself plopped there with a kid yet no memory of this child, or as a wife with no memory of sleeping with her husband, or as a glaciologist with no memory of what such a scientist knows, or as a pop star with no memory of the words to popular songs, or as a pub owner with no memory of what to do when closing. Lives, but without the memories that led her there.An interesting thread running throughout the book is that of Hugo, another slider who explores his own lives. Hugo and Nora meet up several times, though find that the other isn’t what they want and each chooses to go back to their own terminal, hers a library and his a video store. I expected them to meet up at the end, as they had such a powerful connection through their sliding, both aware of themselves and of others, but no. it wasn’t to be. I’m not disappointed, just wondering if such a possibility exists, and if I will get this chance one day. And I wonder how Hugo arrived at this point, if his was also a suicide, and if it only happened to suicides or lives so filled with regrets.A question I still have is about the character of Mrs. Elm (for Nora) or the uncle (for Hugo) and the place where these shamans or guides or facilitators resided. Both sliders found themselves in an in-between place with a familiar character as the trusted one, not someone who used them but someone who in real life helped them find their own way. A good person. An older person who helped at a pivotal time in their life. I find it cool that the author (Matt Haig) crafted a god-like character, not one who superimposes her/his will on you but one who is limited in what they can do by the physics of the world (a library or a video store) they are trapped in. Not all-powerful. Not desiring worship. Not governed by human impulses (power and sex). But a personal god whose sole interest was in the needs and wants of a single person, a much better concept (to me) than the invented gods of the modern world that seem interested in humanity as a whole (and worship and knee-bending and blind obedience and all of that stupidity). If we could wipe away all of the old gods and create a new god for each person today, this would be the kind of god I would like to think about. Though there is that question about universality, and whether everything we think and feel isn’t just arising from our own experiences, including all of this god-talk.I enjoyed finding things in this book. Like the title, on page 31. And the name of the band, a variation of the Kurt Vonnegut classic, Slaughterhouse Five. And the name of the music shop that sounds like the idea behind all of the lived lives in this book, String Theory. And the references to Bedford and Pottersville, connecting readers to the classic movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. And life-fright being similar to stage-fright. And the role of chess in the book, from its beginning to its end, something that used to be a major part of my own life as an educator. And glitches in the library that stemmed from Nora thinking differently about death than she did in her root life. And I had to look up “grasshopper suicide”, because the character told me to, and how many forms of life there are (almost nine million), and Frank Ocean (“Moon River” was awesome).Another interesting concept is that of time. Time doesn’t pass for Nora in the real world as she pulls out numerous books from the library shelves, some exploring for a few minutes, others for hours or days or months. Yet the clock never moves past 12:00 in slide after slide, life after life, universe after universe, until her thinking changes in such a way that she no longer regrets the choices she made in her root life. And then the clock starts ticking and Mrs. Elm warns her that she must do just one thing in order to survive, pick that one book, and, wait, I don’t want to spoil it for you, but it gets to 00:03:48.If you want to know what happens to Nora, then read this book. It is really good and worth your time. And if you are the philosophical type (as I am), then keep a notepad and pen nearby so that you can write down the interesting thoughts and ideas that flow from the mind of Nora Seed, the questions she ponders, the truths she shares with the world. And I will end on a final thought, one found on page 137, about life and what it is: “…acres of disappointment and monotony and hurts and rivalries but with flashes of wonder and beauty.” Something to think about.

Sweet book quick read. Nora the main character is relatable and you become invested in her. Simple plot but still very interesting

Matt does a wonderful job of keeping a small amount of memorable characters while adding so many more, but keeping the storyline the base so you're not left trying to keep up with everything. A great novel for all of the people that ask 'what if things went differently'

It’s a good read. Maybe a little sentimental but a very good premise and well written. It’s thought provoking and I feel the main character was very relatable. I think it times tries to force in a modern fell, like references to social media which feel forced. Overall I enjoyed the book.

“You don’t have to understand life, you just have to live it.”A MUST READ!!!If I could give this book 10/5, I would. This book hit me hard. I actually had to pause multiple times just to process what I was reading. It was one of those books where you want to savor every moment even though you’re dying to keep turning the pages.I’d honestly say this is one of the best sci-fi/fantasy mashups I’ve ever read, with a bit of philosophical depth. The story follows a woman who’s deeply depressed and feels like she’s failed at life. She’s full of regrets and “what ifs” — constantly wondering who she could’ve been if she had just made different choices.“We only need to be one person.We only need to feel one existence.We don’t have to do everything in order to be everything, because we are already infinite.While we are alive we always contain a future of multifarious possibility.After attempting to end her life, she ends up in this “in-between” place — not quite life, not quite death — where she can live out every possible version of the lives she could’ve had. Thousands of different paths, thousands of different outcomes. And through exploring all of those, she discovers which life is truly hers. (No spoilers, you should read it)This book is emotional. Reading about someone who wants to end their life isn’t easy, but somehow the story still feels comforting and warm. It’s not as dark as you’d think. If I had to describe this book in a few words: beautiful, meaningful, emotional, poetic, and realistic.And this quote sums up the book:“If you aim to be something you are not, you will always fail. Aim to be you. Aim to look and act and think like you. Aim to be the truest version of you. Embrace that you-ness. Endorse it. Love it. Work hard at it. And don’t give a second thought when people mock it or ridicule it. Most gossip is envy in disguise.”

The first third of the novel is excellent - intriguing, thought-provoking, entertaining. Following that, the story ‘levels off’, we get more and more of the same, and the ending is not surprising. Worth a read, especially if you like authors like Mitch Albom (though I prefer Albom’s stories).

Awesome book. Read it in all of 2 days because I had to know what came next. Comes with a great life lesson. The writing truly captivates you.

I took the Kindle sample to this book months ago and never read it. But three nights ago, it was the most intersting sample in my queue, so I read it, then had to buy the book. I took half of today to finish reading. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about the story, numerous times a day. I'm going through a very different life right now than I ever thought I'd choose/end up in. Some parts of it are wonderful, some are really, really difficult. The main character, Nora, has the same pattern. I am in my early 60s now, though, so I've kind of stepped back from planning glorious futures for myself, figuring that's mostly in my past now - and I've had an amazing run! But this book entered through a tiny hole remaining in my heart and did some kind of magic. I am deeply grateful to Matt for his courage, wisdom, perspective, and humor throughout this charming book. Five stars and then some. Bravo!

It is beautifully written

I find myself lately reading what I think are very good books. From the pleasant to the thought provoking to the fun to the serious and enlightening to the masterful to the beautiful to the despairing and tragic. This I tell you is a read that yet again I cannot properly articulate into language on the fundamental essence of its themes and context. To put simply, it is quite something that I totally did not expect in many ways, although I expected in some. But as I read and discovered, it is truly remarkable.So here is what I will write with my utmost ability in describing something so accessibly written and simply said, yet so profound and significant. What comes to mind when I recall back as I turned from page to page is a question - “What Does It Mean To Be Human?”. It is apparent to me that I am yet again, reminded that what seems to be the things we want aren’t necessarily so and the things we truly need or want have been many a times right in front of us I suppose.When I look up at the stars at night, I am acutely aware how insignificant and meaningless we all are individually. How abysmal most of our efforts are in trying to live up to Human made concepts of what is considered to be an appropriate life and how one should behave. What I have learned from this is that there is no appropriate way, there is of course being a decent human being and how we can treat each other better. But there is NO absolute way of living. There is just living and figuring it out as we go along.The Midnight Library would definitely be one of my cherished books for this time around, as it solicits perspectives, drives hard the extremes of what is possible, and forces one to contemplate infinity and the singularity of all things. For some reason, I feel hope because I feel I have a better understanding of what being present in your current situation entails. This perhaps is cliche and cringy to say, but it’s the truth. I believe we all know this, but we tend to need reminders every now and then. After all, our perfection as individuals and on the whole; Humanity, is that our perfection lies within the imperfections, the Chaos of Life.I conclude my personal review with this; with another idea or perhaps a stipulation: everyone has their own direction of life and their own codes of philosophy to live by, yet the as we slowly step towards the vast and endless unknown, it is the potential of the indeterminate future that allows us to discover new things, try different things, and grow and break and grow and break again. I believe that is what we call progress. If you cannot tell from my bias, this book is definitely worth the time to read and consider and contemplate. I am in a situation right now where I am hesitant on certain moves and of future prospects, but this has provided some much needed clarity.Not bad Haig. You indeed did your job.

This book is just wow. I haven't finished it yet since I'm just starting out with reading as a hobby, but the first few chapters hit incredibly deep. It’s a bit sad, but perfectly captures that feeling of burnout and the desire to escape into someone else's life. Highly recommend giving it a try if you want a meaningful, thought-provoking concept.

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The Midnight Library is a must-read! Note: If you’re not a fan of fantasy elements, you might initially find it challenging to connect with the story. Although, the core message is universal and deeply impactful.I gave myself time to reflect on the book after finishing it before writing this review because it left a profound impression that I wanted to fully experience first.When I picked up the book to read, I was navigating one of the most challenging periods of my life. And because of this, the book resonated on a deeply emotional level. It triggered moments of joy, love, happiness, sadness, anger, loneliness, and everything in between.Matt Haig took me on a beautiful journey through themes of regret, mental health, choices, loss, and grief. While I sometimes found the main character, Nora, frustrating, the story is less about her personality and more about the choices she makes. It’s a reflection of the universal “what if” moments we all face and how those alternate paths might not have led us to where we truly want to be or even where we thought we wanted to go.The book encourages its readers to re-examine their regrets while offering a perspective that can be both eye-opening and healing. To some extent, it also challenges you to rethink how you view your past actions and choices and to reframe them in a more compassionate light.One of the most powerful lessons of The Midnight Library is its emphasis on life’s inherent uncertainties. It gently reminds us that unpredictability is inevitable and invites us to embrace it with open arms instead of resistance.This is a story that lingers, a book I cannot wait to revisit. It’s more than a novel, it’s a lens through which to view our choices, regrets, and the meaning we seek in life.