A review by livelyghost
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

“I don’t want to open it again.”
“Don’t worry, it will be safer this time. Just stick to the last page.”
Once she had flicked to the last page, she saw one of her very last regrets - ‘I was bad at looking after Voltaire’ - slowly disappear from the page. The letters fading like retreating strangers in a fog. 
Nora closed the book before she could feel anything bad happen. 
“So, you see? Sometimes regrets aren’t based on fact at all. Sometimes regrets are just…” she searched for the appropriate term and found it. “A load of bullshit.”

Look, sometimes I want a book that’s full of meandering scenes that quietly sit with me and treat me gently. Sometimes though I need a book though that just says “hey you ding dong, this main character is really fucking similar to you. Everything you’ve learned in therapy this year that you thought was a fucking revelation? It was already in here” to reinforce the point. This was the latter. 

Can it be a little saccharine and on the nose? For sure. Did I need to be reminded of every single bit of it while I read it - watching my own little cat, who was so full of only love for everyone, get sicker and sicker and die? Abso-fucking-lutely. This wasn’t subtle or long, it’s quick and to the point. It was exactly what I needed when I needed it. Thank you. 
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