The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

-The idea that you can explore endless different versions of your life is intriguing!

Matt Haig can be a bit hit & miss for me. I read ‘How to Stop Time’ and got through it, but wasn’t bowled over. Then his non-fiction musings on depression and anxiety I think were excellent. But this one is something else!

NORA is our hero, and she’s depressed. She’s had enough to the point of considering ending everything. But instead of checking out completely, she passes into a kind of middle-space (some might say an Interland!) which takes the form of a library. Each book in the library reflects a different version of her life that would have come about had she made a different choice at some stage along the way. Great premise eh?!

There are some brilliant Nora’s in there - there’s the rock star that would have been if she’d continued with her music, the Olympic champion Nora who persevered with her swimming. Each life she sees in each book is shown to her in just a few minutes after Midnight - so she only gets a taste of it. And if she decides it’s a good life, she can stay. Who wouldn’t be the rock star? Or perhaps the Arctic researcher? But then is it the extreme that brings happiness? Or is it the simpler life?

This is a quick read, less than 300 pages. It sticks to the central theme of what it is to be satisfied in a life with simple choices. Which choices matter? There’s something wonderful in the ordinary. Loved it.