A woman lost, a life unlived, and a second chance to make things right.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself: it’s about creating yourself.”
– Henry David Thoreau
It’s funny that my husband, with only my poor description of the book, compared this book to ‘A Christmas Carol’ because.. He’s not entirely wrong.
I was pretty excited about this one. I saw it discussed, reviewed, and recommended everywhere last year and I told myself, ‘Self, now that’s a book we need to get our hands on,’ and of course I say ‘our’ because I’m talking to myself and it wouldn’t be as creepy if I didn’t..
I sat eagerly with my reader in hand, the tension killing me.. *swipes to first page*
Trigger Warning! Death of an animal, Grief, Depression, Drug abuse, Suicide
Possibility of minor *spoilers* ahead..
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
First line: Nineteen years before she decided to die, Nora Seed sat in the warmth of the small library at Hazeldene School in the town of Bedford.
She wanted to die.
She still does.
Now she has the opportunity to see how it feels to really live..
And, somehow, that seems far more terrifying.
Nora hasn’t just had a bad day.. She’s had a bad life.
Tired of an existence filled with disappointment and tragedy, Nora makes the decision that will change everything.. she decides to end it all.
Whatever she expected would happen next.. it certainly wasn’t to wake in a library confronted with her favorite childhood librarian.
But from this moment on, it will be up to Nora to decide her own fate, for better or worse.
Four Stars!
Characters: Were only so-so. They fell flat and unrealized.
Pace: Good. Even. Steady.
Storyline: Compelling. Heartbreaking.
Writing: Captivating. Emotive.
Depression is a very serious mental illness.
It can effect all aspects of your life and, while the proper use of medications, treatments, and support can help.. there is no quick fix or simple solution for overcoming it. Whether you believe it’s ‘real’ or not.. have a care with those who struggle with depression. It costs you nothing.. but it may just mean the world to someone else.
‘Between life and death there is a library,’ she said. ‘And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be different if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’
Nora Seed: Depressed. Lost. Enduring one bad day after another..
Ms. Elm: The librarian who comforted her as a girl.. and a construct created by her own mind and The Midnight Library to help guide Nora.
Like a phoenix, Nora burns through her story, only to be reborn at the beginning of something wonderful.. Life.
About the book:
The idea behind The Midnight Library is nothing short of brilliant. A library stationed between life and death that’s filled with regrets, potential, and second chances. What’s not to love? Oh, yeah! That pesky dying part.
Mrs. Elm is stern, intelligent, kind, and patient.. She’s a wonderfully written character and perfect as a guide through such interesting, confusing, and stressful times.
Nora has a bad habit of drawing on both your sympathy and frustration. Very few characters have made me wish to hug and shake them simultaneously.. scratch that. Many have. But damn. You’re not just transported into Nora’s story, you’re devoured by it. Her pain is so raw and real that it consumes you.
The story did become repetitive at times, which can be mostly ignored, but not entirely.
Forewarning: There’s a cat in this unhappy story.
I don’t know about you but I can read about abductions, torture, and murder.. but when it comes to animals? I break a little inside seeing/hearing/reading about them coming to any sort of harm and while you’re not subjected to any sort of abuse or neglect of the animal here.. if you’re an animal lover.. your heart will still bleed for the poor creature.
This is a pretty dark read. Psychologically brutal and emotionally draining. There were times when I would have to set the book down and walk away before being able to continue.. but I can now completely understand why there’s been such controversy over it.
Quotes:
“She wasn’t made for this life.
Every move had been a mistake, every decision a disaster, every day a retreat from who she’d imagined she’d be.
Swimmer. Musician. Philosopher. Spouse. Traveller. Glaciologist. Happy. Loved.
Nothing.”
“It was a familiar feeling. This feeling of being incomplete in just about every sense. An unfinished jigsaw of a human. Incomplete living and incomplete dying.”
‘Never underestimate the big importance of small things,’ Mrs Elm said. ‘You must always remember that.’
‘Cats are too disobedient,’ he said, sounding like the brother she remembered. ‘Dogs know their place.’
‘Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.’
“You can have everything and feel nothing.”
Thank you for taking a moment to read my review, I hope you enjoyed it!
I would recommend this book with care.. It’s a beautifully written story but, maybe because of that, it’s difficult to get through.
Have you read The Midnight Library?
What did you think?
