‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig: What Was All The Hype About?

• Title: The Midnight Library
• Author: Matt Haig
• Publisher: Canongate Books
• Pub. date: 13 August 2020
• Series: standalone
• Page count: 304
• Genres: adult, magic realism, literary fiction

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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?

Content warnings: alcoholism (mentioned), car accident (mentioned), death of a pet, death of loved ones (mentioned), depression, drug abuse, panic attack, self-harm (mentioned), suicide & attempted suicide, suicidal ideation, terminal illness (mentioned)

I have been meaning to read The Midnight Library ever since it got hyped last year and it won Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction that year too. The unique premise and the mixed reviews just fueled my resolve, but it wasn’t till a buddy read last month that I actually picked up this book!

The Midnight Library begins with Nora Seed as she goes about a usual day in her life. Nora has been suffering many setbacks during the last few years of her life and that night she suffers the loss of her cat on top of losing her job and her gig teaching piano to a kid. At the age of 35, Nora contemplates suicide and ends up attempting suicide.

However, rather than walking towards the light, Nora ends up in the Midnight Library. The Midnight Library is a space between life and death filled with books that record Nora’s regrets and possible alternate lives. And so Nora begins a journey through her regrets to appreciation for her life, family and friends.

• The premise of this book is unique and creative. I am both intrigued and terrified by the idea of The Midnight Library, or the author’s concept of a space between death and life. I even believe that this book and its premise has a lot more potential.
• I liked the short chapters of the book. I think it was perfect for a story about alternate lives and the multiverse theory.
• I really liked how the story started. The beginning third of the book went great with smooth writing and great pace.
• There is a wonderful message behind this book. It’s about dealing with regrets in our lives and living to our true potential. I found that an inspiring concept and there were instances that I highlighted because I really need to remember those concepts about living life.

• The pacing was worryingly inconsistent. The beginning was great but the middle portion of the story really dragged on. Then the ending felt rushed as everything came together at a disappointingly brisk pace.
• I am not sure how I felt about the writing itself. The author had a habit of saying rather than showing how Nora felt, and that is not something I like in stories.
• This is probably the most subjective criticism I have of this book: I could not connect with or like Nora in any way. I actually preferred the side characters to Nora herself.
• Though I liked some of the side characters, there were no solidly fleshed out characters in The Midnight Library. Everyone seemed so two-dimensional and I struggled to see any character development.

Though based on an interesting premise that is full of potential, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig falls short of accomplishing what I expected of it. Though praised and recommended all over the Internet, I found the writing flat, the pacing inconsistent and the characters underdeveloped. I would still recommend this to anyone looking to read a book dealing with mental health, life & death, and an interesting take on the multiverse theory. But personally, I do not understand the hype surrounding this book.

More The Midnight Library content: Megha’s review, Mindy’s Q&A with the author, and Anne’s review

Matt Haig is an author for children and adults. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children’s book A Boy Called Christmas was a runaway hit and is translated in over 40 languages. It is being made into a film starring Maggie Smith, Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent and The Guardian called it an ‘instant classic’. His novels for adults include  the award-winning How To Stop Time, The Radleys, The Humans and the number one bestseller The Midnight Library.

He has sold over three million books worldwide.

Have you read The Midnight Library or will you be picking it up?