The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: a review

I actually found this one a few months ago, unsure of whether it would be the book for me, but after seeing a few recommendations from trusty sources (and finding it at the library so no fear from buying and regretting), I decided to give it a go.

Content Warnings:

·         Suicide

·         Self-harm

·         Substance/alcohol abuse

            The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is an exploration of life, death, and a world full of regrets. Nora Seed feels as though she has a life filled with nothing but regrets, and one particular twenty-four hours leaves her feeling as though she has no choice but to take her own life. She wakes up in a strange library and is guided through a series of lives she could have led with just one different choice. She gets to see how things could have been, and maybe she’ll discover the perfect life for her.

            I’m just going to come right out and say that I am thoroughly in love with this book. It tapped something within me that I could not get enough of. That’s not to say it wasn’t hard at times, but when it was, I still felt like I was gaining something out of it because it was only hard due to feeling like I had to confront much of the way I thought about my own life.

No spoilers here, but there was a point during one of Nora’s lives where everything felt like it was going right, but there was something, just something, telling me that she was still headed back to the library, and as much as anything I think it was that I always had hope that she’d be able to go back to her own life. Haig does this so well throughout, subtly hinting where her path should lead. I didn’t know at any point if that is where it would go; it was a hope more than anything. I tell you, it’s a real strange feeling realising that you’re going “but your own life is the one you need to face up to” and then having to just look at yourself and just “ah, I see”.

I read this split between a physical book and an audiobook, and Carey Mulligan’s narration is stunning. Her voice differences are subtle when people share an accent, but everything is so clear and emotive. As far as I could tell, her accent work seemed very good, but I’m not from any of the places she’s imitating, so there may be some things that I’m missing. I think that, if I come back to this book, I’ll come back to it via the audiobook because the performance is excellent, and really serves to elevate the work.

This is an absolute recommendation. I can see myself coming back to it especially when I need an outlet to confront myself. I can see this being on my top ten at the end of the year (at the very least it will be on the short list, as I still don’t know how many times I’ve said that a book will make the list). Did I cry? Yes, many times. Would I be more than happy to cry once again? 100%.