The story follows Nora Seed, a woman who finds herself exploring the titular library, filled as far as the eye can see with books tracing all the different paths her life could have taken.
Matt Haig Opens the Library of Potential
As far as we're aware, time flows in only one direction, and every decision we make is permanent; we can never go back to make any of our choices disappear from the past. Nevertheless, this has never stopped us from wondering about all the divergent courses our lives could have taken, and in The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, a woman sees the possibility of investigating them.
Taking us to the realm of fantasy to make for the setting, the book opens by giving us an overview of the titular library, located somewhere beyond the edge of the universe and standing between life and death. Its size is infinite, and its shelves are lined with books containing all the possible paths the lives of those exploring it could have taken.
Enter Nora Seed, a woman who not only finds herself in the library, but is also given an offer few could ever refuse: the ability to change her life for any other permutation she can find on the shelves. The possibility to undo all the suffering and accomplish her dreams is an alluring one, but it forces her to face an important question: would any of these other paths make her happier?
The longer she searches through the library and acquaints herself with the different paths her life could have taken, the more she realizes this isn't just a search for the correct destiny: it's a search for the true meanings of happiness and fulfillment in human life.
Things which seemed obvious soon take on increasingly complex and deceiving forms, while concepts she couldn't hope to understand in her one life take on a new sense of clarity. Ultimately, life does demand sacrifices one way or the other, and Nora has to decide on what she believes makes life worth living for her in the first place.
Nora's Fate in The Midnight Library
From the opening description of the book, I came in expecting to be treated to a work largely revolving around the concept of the multiverse and the infinite possibilities it carries. However, as I soon discovered, it really only makes for the setting to allow us to explore the true crux of the matter: Nora's introspective journey.
For those of you who were hoping for Matt Haig to make a greater use of the setting to explore scientific (and science-fiction) concepts, I'll just have to say you'll likely be disappointed. The author doesn't really take us to any outlandish territories through the infinite possibilities offered by the library, but personally I didn't mind this decision once I understood what the author was going for.
The bulk of the story consists of follow Nora through her explorations of the various versions of her life she manages to find, with the added caveat she can actually influence the fate of the Nora whose life she inhabits. This creates a welcome bit of tension, as she must constantly weigh her actions and decisions against their potential consequences, even if it's not for her true self.
On the whole though, the only real element of urgency in the story is the fact Nora is bound to die if she doesn't find an alternative life to inhabit, but even so, the overall pace and atmosphere of the story feel quite relaxed and never in a hurry. Though it's good to have a plot moving along rapidly, I think we can all appreciate the need to take things more slowly sometimes.
Nora is essentially the sole real protagonist of this novel, and considering we spend quite a bit of time with her it was good to see she turned out to be far from being one-dimensional. At the start I can hardly describe her as likeable, but we see her change as she learns more lessons about life, and her overall transformation is believable, natural, profound, and made her a memorable character for me.
The Questions Behind the Journey
On the whole I would very much say this is a feel-good type of novel, with a warm ending reached at a rather leisurely pace. However, this isn't to say Matt Haig doesn't tackle some more difficult and darker subjects along the way, and I suppose it is only fair to warn potential readers about the importance the theme of suicide plays in the story.
As you might have gathered, Nora isn't simply in the library because she happened to stumble into it. Instead, she has committed suicide and is given a chance to find the one thing she was missing: what makes her life worth living.
The subject is tackled with a lot of grace and finesse, and while I cannot venture to say how much experience the author has with it, it's definitely addressed with genuine concern rather than simply serving as a plot element. While I wouldn't say it teaches us anything groundbreaking, there's an emphasis on learning to enjoy the small things, as well as the act of living itself.
Additionally, Nora is also faced with challenges of a more philosophical nature, especially when she finds herself in alternate lives which seem to have gone perfectly. What happens to the version of herself whose life she takes over? Is it possible to simply accept the life of another and fulfill their role in it? Haig can definitely think of a few interesting catches for his protagonist to deal with.
Now, I don't think it would be fair to call this book exceptionally profound or philosophically-enlightening, but it does have enough layers and interesting ideas to push the reader to make some reflections about their own lives. In my opinion, any book capable of making its readers reflect on real-world topics deserve at least some recognition.
The Final Verdict
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is an interesting piece of literature mixing time travel fiction with philosophy, revolving around the central topic of learning to love one's existence. It tackles its more delicate subjects with elegance, while delivering a heartwarming story going along at a gentle pace.
If you're looking for a work of literary fiction involving elements of fantasy and science-fiction which can make you think a little, then I think you'll definitely enjoy what this book has to offer.
 | Matt HaigPersonal site Matt Haig is an English novelist and journalist who has primarily established himself in the speculative fiction genre. He studied English and History at the University of Hull. He began his career by publishing Reasons to Stay Alive, which was a number one Sunday Times bestseller in the UK. His 2017 novel, How to Stop Time, is even being optioned into a major motion picture by StudioCanal films. |
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