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A review by rbruehlman
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
4.0
I'm a complete sucker for anything multiverse-related. Sue me.
A woman miserable with her life attempts suicide because she feels she has failed and let down others at every possible turn ... but instead of dying, is transported to a library filled with infinite books that represent every permutation of her life. Presented with a large, weighty tome called "the Book of Regrets" that records every regret she has ever had in her life, she starts visiting different "lives" she has lived, based on major decision points and regrets throughout her life. She is given the option to explore what it would be like if she had, for instance, pursued her dream of being a musician, or hadn't gotten cold feet and dumped her fiance just before the wedding, or had kept her cat, who had been hit by a car, indoors? The idea is that, if she finds a different life she likes, she can stay there.
Unsurprisingly, Nora finds that many of the alternate paths she regretted not taking, weren't as great as she imagined, and others included losing things dear to the "root" version of Nora. As Nora learns, a multiverse isn't really a representation of "if I had only...", it's a representation of one's infinite potential. Life is what you make of it.
This book is a weird mix of being a little too predictable, but also a good reminder on living life to its fullest. I knew exactly where the book would go from the start and was not terribly surprised by the conclusion; hell, it's even been done before by the classic movie It's A Wonderful Life. In that respect, the book isn't a 5-star for me. It felt like something you'd be really moved by in junior high school, but as an adult, I did find myself wanting something a bit more complex.
But it's still a worthwhile enough read, because sometimes really obvious, predictable lessons are good to have repeated to sink in: we give more weight to regrets than we should, and life is what you make of it.
I really appreciated that Matt Haig addressed the foremost issue I would have as Nora (indeed, I struggled with it before Haig addressed it): despite finding lives she liked, Nora didn't feel like those lives were her lives, and didn't feel at home there. They were lives lived by someone else. I, too, would not feel comfortable jumping into another me's better life; I didn't earn it and would feel like an imposter, like I had "cheated". Also, since much of life is about your perspective, presumably other me would have learnt lessons along the way to make their life happy that original me wouldn't have. Surely original me wouldn't really be able to fully enjoy or maintain the happy world other me had created?
I also really appreciated Matt Haig's depiction of depression. I don't know if Haig has been depressed, but damn, he nailed it. I felt for Nora so much. I don't personally dwell on regret much, but I know that deeply hopeless headspace so, so, so well... It's true, a different perspective when absolutely nothing else has changed is a magical antidepressant. Although Nora finding meaning in her current life was predictable, the book would have been lame and unsatisfying and depressing had that not been the eventual outcome.
Who should read this book? Again, I don't think this book explores anything It's A Wonderful Life does not, but for the hopeless and depressed, or those who struggle with regret, it's a good reminder life is what you make of it.
A woman miserable with her life attempts suicide because she feels she has failed and let down others at every possible turn ... but instead of dying, is transported to a library filled with infinite books that represent every permutation of her life. Presented with a large, weighty tome called "the Book of Regrets" that records every regret she has ever had in her life, she starts visiting different "lives" she has lived, based on major decision points and regrets throughout her life. She is given the option to explore what it would be like if she had, for instance, pursued her dream of being a musician, or hadn't gotten cold feet and dumped her fiance just before the wedding, or had kept her cat, who had been hit by a car, indoors? The idea is that, if she finds a different life she likes, she can stay there.
Unsurprisingly, Nora finds that many of the alternate paths she regretted not taking, weren't as great as she imagined, and others included losing things dear to the "root" version of Nora. As Nora learns, a multiverse isn't really a representation of "if I had only...", it's a representation of one's infinite potential. Life is what you make of it.
This book is a weird mix of being a little too predictable, but also a good reminder on living life to its fullest. I knew exactly where the book would go from the start and was not terribly surprised by the conclusion; hell, it's even been done before by the classic movie It's A Wonderful Life. In that respect, the book isn't a 5-star for me. It felt like something you'd be really moved by in junior high school, but as an adult, I did find myself wanting something a bit more complex.
But it's still a worthwhile enough read, because sometimes really obvious, predictable lessons are good to have repeated to sink in: we give more weight to regrets than we should, and life is what you make of it.
I really appreciated that Matt Haig addressed the foremost issue I would have as Nora (indeed, I struggled with it before Haig addressed it): despite finding lives she liked, Nora didn't feel like those lives were her lives, and didn't feel at home there. They were lives lived by someone else. I, too, would not feel comfortable jumping into another me's better life; I didn't earn it and would feel like an imposter, like I had "cheated". Also, since much of life is about your perspective, presumably other me would have learnt lessons along the way to make their life happy that original me wouldn't have. Surely original me wouldn't really be able to fully enjoy or maintain the happy world other me had created?
I also really appreciated Matt Haig's depiction of depression. I don't know if Haig has been depressed, but damn, he nailed it. I felt for Nora so much. I don't personally dwell on regret much, but I know that deeply hopeless headspace so, so, so well... It's true, a different perspective when absolutely nothing else has changed is a magical antidepressant. Although Nora finding meaning in her current life was predictable, the book would have been lame and unsatisfying and depressing had that not been the eventual outcome.
Who should read this book? Again, I don't think this book explores anything It's A Wonderful Life does not, but for the hopeless and depressed, or those who struggle with regret, it's a good reminder life is what you make of it.