The Midnight Library is a novel written by Matt Haig. This novel was published in 2020 and is loved by many, especially those who like to read sci-fi novels.
“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever” (Haid, Matt, 2020)
The Midnight Library tells a story about Nora Seed, the main character of this novel, who goes through a hardship in her life. She gets trapped in a stage of life where things are falling, and no expectations are met. Frustrated by feeling lonely and stuck in a realm of her reality, she tries her hardest to escape. One night, she decided to take her life, but long story short, this night turned out to be the longest night that she had to live.
Things become odds for Nora as it reaches 00.00 pm. Nora is stuck in a strange building piled up with many books. At that time, she had no idea what was going on. One thing was for sure: there was a person whom she recognized. Mrs. Elm, a person from her teenage era, guides her to travel to her alternative life through a Book of Regrets.
A Book of Regrets is a book containing all the regrets that Nora is feeling. As someone who barely sees any good in life, Nora often regrets decisions and things that have happened. Little did she know, those regrets were the ones that held her life back from moving on.
Nora visits her alternative lives as she opens the book on the shelves. Nora can access the lives that she might live in the future. All of Nora’s regrets are being reprimanded, showing her that her life already had so much to give and that she did not have to worry about anything too much. Nora visits the life when she and Dan, her ex-fiance, get to live a peaceful life later. She goes to life when she gets her dream job as a glaciologist, but it turns out that she will not be able to live in it because there is a near-death experience.
As Nora visits many alternative lives, she realizes there is no point in regretting things that have already happened. Every decision comes with its own risk that she has to deal with. She realizes that some things do not belong to her and that she should keep some of her dreams as a longing dream.
Nora begins to understand that she has been living a fulfilled life. Nora feels sad because, all this time, she has often ignored the small things in her life that she could be grateful for. Nora has to be thankful for way too many magical occurrences. The most crucial part is that she feels sorry for herself for having thought of taking her own life.
This novel is the one that you will never get tired of. Once you dive deep into the story, you will want to dive even deeper to deepen the character’s feelings portrayed in the story. Although the stories flip back and forth between the present and past, the reader will be precise since the story is well-packed and well-organized.
If you love to read a sci-fi novel with a twist of romance in it, The Midnight Library can be your best option! There are many lessons that can be learned from this novel, which will broaden our perspective on life.
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Sources: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/the-midnight-library/