Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

1036 reviews

haileyhardcover's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

‼️TW: Suicide/ SI
•
•
•
Oooh we’re gonna get honest and dark with this review, folks… buckle up or back out now!

I’ve been suicidal (always passively, and sometimes actively) since I was 6-years-old. That’s not a typo. I can very clearly remember sitting in my childhood bedroom, legs dangling off of the edge of my red bunk bed, and thinking “I’m going to kill myself.” I’ve managed to trick myself into staying alive for the last 30 years, but I can’t say it’s been easy and I’ve made a lot of choices I wish I could take back - closed a lot of doors I wish I had walked through, run through others that I should have slammed shut. In the really dark moments the thing I regret most is not just ending things when I was 6 or 16 or 26. A whole book of regrets.

The concept of The Midnight Library really appealed to me. On the edge of death, Nora is given the opportunity to address her greatest regrets and sample the lives she could have had if she’d made different choices, in the hopes of find one where she could be happy - one where she would want to keep living. Spoiler Alert:

She learns that the grass is not always greener on the other side, and that there is still time to save herself and make positive changes in her real (“root”) life.

Must be nice.

Maybe it’s wrong for me to hate the optimistic ending, but I do. If an anti-suicide message was the goal (and of course it was, because who is out here writing pro-suicide novels?) I truly would’ve preferred the gut punch ending of Nora realizing her root life was the best one for her and still dying anyway. A “learn from this character’s mistake” kind of approach. You made your death bed, now die in it.

Disappointing ending aside, it’s not a bad book, but it’s not great either. I can’t say I particularly liked any of the characters, it’s difficult to stay grounded in a story that’s primarily spent jumping between different lives, and there were plot points that were just fully abandoned (like Hugo and the other “sliders”… why even bother with that?) but it’s an enjoyable enough concept, easy to binge, and most of the chapters are very short, which I love. I doubt I would pick this book up again, but it was a decent way to occupy my brain for a couple of days.

Content Warnings

xgabrielle_hx's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

happyeditx's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A warm blanket in a world of sorrow

The Midnight Library is everything I hoped it would be and more. It's a straightforward plot with lovable characters, interesting theories about life and literary/historical references that are easy ti understand if you know the context. Some people call this book full of clichés, but I encourage you to find the deeper meaning behind those.

For example; The reason Nora returns to the library in her popstar life isn't because the fame got too much, but because of her brother's death that she blamed herself for.

The book took me on a trip through Nora's world, thoughts and feelings. Nora is a lovable character with great humor and is very relatable. Although it's a reflective novel, it doesn't wreck your brain. Everything feels light yet there is always an underlying inexplicable tension.

Content Warnings