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__ceecee__ 's review for:
The Midnight Library
by Matt Haig
*3.75 stars
“Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.” ~Neil Gaiman
Nora Seed is about to die, but before she crosses that line, she has a chance to live all the other lives she could have lived if she had made different decisions.
The novel was a breeze to read through, once I got over the hiccup of the introduction. It’s a very accessible read, meaning plenty of people can appreciate it, although i do think it has some problems about presenting mental illness. It’s always tricky to write something about mental illness. Mostly, your audience will be relatively healthy when it come to that, so this book really isnt for people who do have serious issues. I know it’s definitely hard to read the first parts of the book. It can be quite triggering, actually. And even though the book ends on a high note, it oversimplifies the “reason to live” moral of the story. If you’re thinking of recommending this to a friend you know has depression, maybe think over it through. The most important for someone with depression is not to read, but to have people around them constantly checking up on them and making them feel like someone was thinking about and caring for them.
I would not have read this book if Amazon didn’t offer a discount on this (they offer discounts for bestsellers), and i thought, why not? Looks nice. I like books and libraries. I know a little bit about parallel universes, in fact I have also thought of how my life would be like in multiple alternate universes. (It’s such a fascinating topic and it gives you a sense of comfort that somewhere another version of you is happy.)
I had the feeling I knew where the story was leading, and it did. I didn’t really get the feeling it was cliche or predictable, though this sort of story has been done before. Maybe it’s because i’ve recently gone back to reading, but i still felt like i was reading a fresh novel. It put its own unique spin on “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I empathized with Nora, she was a compelling protagonist that you could care for.
All in all, a worthy winner of Goodreads Book the the Year.
“Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.” ~Neil Gaiman
Nora Seed is about to die, but before she crosses that line, she has a chance to live all the other lives she could have lived if she had made different decisions.
The novel was a breeze to read through, once I got over the hiccup of the introduction. It’s a very accessible read, meaning plenty of people can appreciate it, although i do think it has some problems about presenting mental illness. It’s always tricky to write something about mental illness. Mostly, your audience will be relatively healthy when it come to that, so this book really isnt for people who do have serious issues. I know it’s definitely hard to read the first parts of the book. It can be quite triggering, actually. And even though the book ends on a high note, it oversimplifies the “reason to live” moral of the story. If you’re thinking of recommending this to a friend you know has depression, maybe think over it through. The most important for someone with depression is not to read, but to have people around them constantly checking up on them and making them feel like someone was thinking about and caring for them.
I would not have read this book if Amazon didn’t offer a discount on this (they offer discounts for bestsellers), and i thought, why not? Looks nice. I like books and libraries. I know a little bit about parallel universes, in fact I have also thought of how my life would be like in multiple alternate universes. (It’s such a fascinating topic and it gives you a sense of comfort that somewhere another version of you is happy.)
I had the feeling I knew where the story was leading, and it did. I didn’t really get the feeling it was cliche or predictable, though this sort of story has been done before. Maybe it’s because i’ve recently gone back to reading, but i still felt like i was reading a fresh novel. It put its own unique spin on “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I empathized with Nora, she was a compelling protagonist that you could care for.
All in all, a worthy winner of Goodreads Book the the Year.