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A review by jiibii
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
trigger warning: suicide
2.5
I think stories around mental health need to be as specialized as the treatments offered for those struggling. And so there is an intense civil war raging inside me upon finishing The Midnight Library: the bayonets speared forward by the parts of me that related to the book and the perspective forwarded in it find themselves locked against the superior artillery of the knowledge that this should not be considered a serious take on mental health struggles.
I’ve lived and dealt with mental health issues in a similar way that Nora does. Although I have never been remotely close at an attempt on my own life, I have many times thought that I was not a particularly spectacular or even minimally interesting contender in the human race. I have many times been hopeless. And I suppose the philosophy of life I have since adopted heavily resembles the rose-scented, gilded one contained in this tome: experience as much as I can, remind myself the world is vast and relish in your cosmic insignificance in lieu of despairing at it, take great refuge in the fact that in an alternate life, I did go on to become an Olympic artistic roller-blader and in yet another, a concert violinist, etc… Which is why, ultimately, I feel like maybe this book is preaching to the choir. Even though I related to it, I do not like that the way it is being portrayed: as universal.
From looking at the reviews and comments people have left here on goodreads, I can see there are those who struggle keeping mentally healthy that have loved the book, and those that are adamant it is a damaging portrayal of how to live with these issues. This makes me conclude that, generally, this will be well-received by those who struggle similarly to Nora, and reviled by those who must live with their mental illness. Those who have been diminished, ravaged, brutally taken into captivity by acute mental health struggles, will not find anything worthwhile in this(I am not suggesting or implying that there are mental illnesses or states that are less valid than others; *all* our struggles are valid. But perspective is also necessary).
This felt like the mental health version of what the The Help did for debates on race: right conversation, completely wrong narrative perspective. As I read and felt comforted by its ideas, my thoughts kept gravitating towards those for whom these words would pass through like water in a sieve. It just felt so *simple* for Nora. And again, I am not diminishing the incredible feat that is reversing a suicidal lifeview! Of course that is worthy of praise! But come on, it is not this simple for everyone. Having had just read I'm Glad My Mom Died, it was difficult to think “Has Jennette McCurdy ever thought about parallel universes?”. It dies with Nora being all but cured, which is a slippery slope when talking mental health.
This seems to be a story for the people struggling the way Nora does. I am in this category. But these are very particular circumstances, and, in those circumstances, Matt’s words hit home. I believe that they have the capacity to heal, even. This, however, isn’t a universal treatise on how to overcome life-threatening self-defeatism. It is somewhat frustrating to see the book heralded as such by some. Because if that’s the expectation going into The Midnight Library, you’re going to end up with a 300 fleshed out, motivational hand-stitching on the sofa pillow version of the nauseating “Are you sad? Just be happy!” stance on mental health.
There isn’t an a-ha! moment for many people. There is an a-ha moment for a lot a them. This book is for the latter group.
Much of this criticism comes under scrutiny when we read that the author himself has struggled with his mental health. According to Wikipedia (Yes, Henry, Wikipedia is my source of information), Haig suffered a mental breakdown at 24, and still deals with anxiety. Which is why I reiterate the same way I begin: conversations about mental health should be specialised, nuanced, intricate, complicated, time-consuming… This isn’t a topic that should be shoe-horned into a shiny package so as to be mass marketable, which is the sin this here seems to commit. It almost feels wholesome, this book… I understand that suicide does not don a single mantle. In fact, there is nothing more unrecognisable, for how often it changes its shape and face. So, much like the many ways in which it comes uninvited, different people’s experience with suicidal thoughts and losing loved ones to its siren song will determine individual reception. Mass marketability is almost synonymous with universality. Mental health falls into neither of those categories, and it is precarious to conceptualise it in such a manner - hence the low rating.
Books are our Maps - so reads the tagline of Matt Haig’s website. As someone for whom the power of the written word is, quite literally, indescribable, I’m obviously inclined to agree. His heart is in the right place by forwarding this perspective, especially because this is an incredibly hopeful story, that, again, I relate to. It worked for him, and it worked for me, and it is working for some people. But I cannot stress this enough: I wouldn’t and encourage no one to engage with this as a universal guide, and I think the fear that some may is what is driving a lot of the negative opinions, mine included. I feel like it dusts under the rug the severe struggle some are facing when it comes to mental health conditions. It has the ability to create dangerous stereotypes in the minds of those who are mentally stable (creatures of myth and legend); infuriate, if not downright trigger those who must cope with their demons every day; and of being the hand that reaches down the abyss to pull someone back into the light.
So, the civil war rages on.
2.5
I think stories around mental health need to be as specialized as the treatments offered for those struggling. And so there is an intense civil war raging inside me upon finishing The Midnight Library: the bayonets speared forward by the parts of me that related to the book and the perspective forwarded in it find themselves locked against the superior artillery of the knowledge that this should not be considered a serious take on mental health struggles.
I’ve lived and dealt with mental health issues in a similar way that Nora does. Although I have never been remotely close at an attempt on my own life, I have many times thought that I was not a particularly spectacular or even minimally interesting contender in the human race. I have many times been hopeless. And I suppose the philosophy of life I have since adopted heavily resembles the rose-scented, gilded one contained in this tome: experience as much as I can, remind myself the world is vast and relish in your cosmic insignificance in lieu of despairing at it, take great refuge in the fact that in an alternate life, I did go on to become an Olympic artistic roller-blader and in yet another, a concert violinist, etc… Which is why, ultimately, I feel like maybe this book is preaching to the choir. Even though I related to it, I do not like that the way it is being portrayed: as universal.
From looking at the reviews and comments people have left here on goodreads, I can see there are those who struggle keeping mentally healthy that have loved the book, and those that are adamant it is a damaging portrayal of how to live with these issues. This makes me conclude that, generally, this will be well-received by those who struggle similarly to Nora, and reviled by those who must live with their mental illness. Those who have been diminished, ravaged, brutally taken into captivity by acute mental health struggles, will not find anything worthwhile in this(I am not suggesting or implying that there are mental illnesses or states that are less valid than others; *all* our struggles are valid. But perspective is also necessary).
This felt like the mental health version of what the The Help did for debates on race: right conversation, completely wrong narrative perspective. As I read and felt comforted by its ideas, my thoughts kept gravitating towards those for whom these words would pass through like water in a sieve. It just felt so *simple* for Nora. And again, I am not diminishing the incredible feat that is reversing a suicidal lifeview! Of course that is worthy of praise! But come on, it is not this simple for everyone. Having had just read I'm Glad My Mom Died, it was difficult to think “Has Jennette McCurdy ever thought about parallel universes?”. It dies with Nora being all but cured, which is a slippery slope when talking mental health.
This seems to be a story for the people struggling the way Nora does. I am in this category. But these are very particular circumstances, and, in those circumstances, Matt’s words hit home. I believe that they have the capacity to heal, even. This, however, isn’t a universal treatise on how to overcome life-threatening self-defeatism. It is somewhat frustrating to see the book heralded as such by some. Because if that’s the expectation going into The Midnight Library, you’re going to end up with a 300 fleshed out, motivational hand-stitching on the sofa pillow version of the nauseating “Are you sad? Just be happy!” stance on mental health.
There isn’t an a-ha! moment for many people. There is an a-ha moment for a lot a them. This book is for the latter group.
Much of this criticism comes under scrutiny when we read that the author himself has struggled with his mental health. According to Wikipedia (Yes, Henry, Wikipedia is my source of information), Haig suffered a mental breakdown at 24, and still deals with anxiety. Which is why I reiterate the same way I begin: conversations about mental health should be specialised, nuanced, intricate, complicated, time-consuming… This isn’t a topic that should be shoe-horned into a shiny package so as to be mass marketable, which is the sin this here seems to commit. It almost feels wholesome, this book… I understand that suicide does not don a single mantle. In fact, there is nothing more unrecognisable, for how often it changes its shape and face. So, much like the many ways in which it comes uninvited, different people’s experience with suicidal thoughts and losing loved ones to its siren song will determine individual reception. Mass marketability is almost synonymous with universality. Mental health falls into neither of those categories, and it is precarious to conceptualise it in such a manner - hence the low rating.
Books are our Maps - so reads the tagline of Matt Haig’s website. As someone for whom the power of the written word is, quite literally, indescribable, I’m obviously inclined to agree. His heart is in the right place by forwarding this perspective, especially because this is an incredibly hopeful story, that, again, I relate to. It worked for him, and it worked for me, and it is working for some people. But I cannot stress this enough: I wouldn’t and encourage no one to engage with this as a universal guide, and I think the fear that some may is what is driving a lot of the negative opinions, mine included. I feel like it dusts under the rug the severe struggle some are facing when it comes to mental health conditions. It has the ability to create dangerous stereotypes in the minds of those who are mentally stable (creatures of myth and legend); infuriate, if not downright trigger those who must cope with their demons every day; and of being the hand that reaches down the abyss to pull someone back into the light.
So, the civil war rages on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt