Review by michkow - The Midnight Library

michkow 's review for:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

3.0

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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

This is a book I’m really glad I read. It found me at a meaningful crossroads in life, a small crisis at 35 – much like Nora herself – so the messages and gentle hugs it offers felt very timely. It’s hard for me to rate it purely as a novel, because it isn’t all that deep, and I sometimes wished for a more literary version where the themes unfolded between the lines and the side characters had more weight. Still, it definitely fulfills its purpose.

I saw someone describe it as “a self-help book in disguise,” and that feels spot on. If you open it with that expectation, it absolutely delivers. The plot is predictable, yes, but I didn’t find it overly repetitive – each story led to the next insight and built towards the author’s final message. So no, it may not be the most literary book ever written, but it is sweet, therapeutic at times, and it left me wishing I could find a Mrs. Elm of my own. 🥺

Content Warnings