Reviews with content warning for Animal death - The Midnight Library

MAJOR TW: suicide, overdose

Although this book does end up taking a positive turn, it is very dark and should be cautioned to anyone struggling with or affected by mental illness.

Nora decides to die. Her life is going poorly, and it seems like everything is falling apart. She loses her job, her cat dies, her parents are dead, her brother does not speak to her, and she has distanced from old friends. After intentionally overdosing, she ends up in a strange purgatory - a library stuck in time. And in this library, Nora can undo any regret and live the life she would have had she made different choices. Essentially, Nora is trying out all of her parallel universes, and she can pick out a new life. Dark.

However, as Nora tries out different lives, she begins to learn about herself and human kind. No matter what decisions she could have made differently, every life has its sadness and difficulties. Although some different lives may add some happiness, all of them come with different sets of challenges too. It is all about learning to live through the good and bad (and really, just living, a universal experience). Every little decision she’s made (and gets to undo) has had a ripple effect, including impacting not only herself but all of those around her substantially. She learns how even the smallest kindness she’s afforded others has made a huge impact on them. She, without realizing, has made a positive impact just by existing.

Although predictable in how it will end, the journey was still extremely thoughtful. And in the end, although we’re left with a lot of unknowns, it is easy to know Nora will be happy.

It is truly amazing how much story this author fit into such a short book. It is obvious that Matt Haig is brilliant and knowledgeable, but yet he still manages to make his point simply and quickly.

Content Warnings

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I started reading this book with mixed feelings because I've seen a lot of mixed reactions about this book. Many think of it as a book you should read to get a perspective on life or something. So I am happy with how it turned out. I normally don't end up liking most of the books that are supposed to give you life lessons or things like that. But I was very satisfied with this book. Yes, it gives life lessons, but it doesn't feel like that. It feels so natural.

I liked the journey of Nora. How indecisive she is. Not because it's a good or bad thing, but because it's so humane. How she gradually learns about things, values and loves. I was wondering if I was Nora, who would be my Mrs. Elm? This book made me think about things I haven't even considered before. It was such an eye-opening experience. I really enjoyed it.

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