Book Review: ‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig

‘Between life and death there is a library,’ she said. ‘And within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices ... Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’ (Haig, 2020, p. 2)

There is this idea in science and literature that there are an infinite number of universes. In one explanation, a new universe is created with every choice that we make. Which means, in theory, there are infinite versions of each one of us out there all making different choices and leading different lives. It all kind of hurts my head if I think about it too much.

What if there was a way to visit and, for lack of a better term, try on these different lives? Would you be interested?

That is the basic crux of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. And yes, I know that I am very late to this party, but I just finished reading it (about an hour ago as of this writing) and HOLY SWEET MOTHER OF GOD!

I think it is truly best to go into this book with as little information as possible about the characters and/or plot, but for context here is its description from Goodreads –

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?

Look, I am neither literary, nor a critic, and wouldn’t dare to attempt to write a comprehensive review of this book five years after its release. What I can tell you though is how The Midnight Library made me feel. In the beginning, I was curious but as the story marched onward, I was sucked in by every different choice, every different life, and every vague piece of philosophical wisdom that all came together in the end. This book is an ever building crescendo that is akin to what I imagine big wave surfing must feel like.

As I was finishing the book, I couldn’t help but think of the song “Rain in the Summertime” by The Alarm. I can picture the song’s ever building crescendo playing at the end of the film adaptation as the camera pans up to the sky with Mike Peters’ singing,

And then I run 'til the breath tears my throat
'Til the pain hits my side
As if I run fast enough
I can leave all the pain and the sadness behind

I find there are times that I connect with some piece of art so deeply and profoundly, be it a comic book, television series, movie, album, or a book, that when it ends, I feel it in my chest. Physically and emotionally. There is a weight of emotions that stays with me long afterward. That is exactly how I felt, how I am feeling, when I finished The Midnight Library. What a truly special and exceptional book. Five stars.

Huge thank you to my book discussion partners Mattie and Carlie; Mattie for picking this book (and being an excellent partner in crime) and Carlie for taking over as my co-facilitator when Mattie got a job in her field of study (and for being awesome)!

References

The Alarm. (1987). Rain in the Summertime [Song]. On Eye of the Hurricane [Album]. I.R.S. Records.

Eye of the Hurricane (The Alarm album). (2024, December 3). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eye_of_the_Hurricane_(The_Alarm_album)&oldid=1260898782

Haig, M. (2020). The Midnight Library. Penguin Books.

The Midnight Library. (n.d.). Goodreads. Retrieved July 7, 2025 from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52578297-the-midnight-library

The Midnight Library. (2025, July 1). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Midnight_Library&oldid=1298214407

Multiverse. (2025, June 27). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Multiverse&oldid=1297590593

Rain in the Summertime. (n.d.). Genius. Retrieved July 7, 2025 from https://genius.com/The-alarm-rain-in-the-summertime-lyrics