"Between life and death there is a library,' she said. 'And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be different if you had made other choices ... Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?'"
"The Midnight Library" revisits common ground with a depiction of how a myriad of lives exist based on very small choices and decisions. Matt Haig weaves a compelling tale involving the on-the-nosedly named Nora Seed, who is on the verge of suicide before being granted a reprieve to resolve life-long regrets.
"I don't know if I can do this. I've gone blank."
"You're overthinking it."
"I have anxiety. I have no other type of thinking available."
The novel too often leans on treacle, but readers are still swept into Nora's journey toward self-awareness. Perhaps ideally suited as a beach read atop a crow's nest in the Outer Banks, "The Midnight Library" is capable of evoking powerful emotion, but may veer too far into experience for experience's sake for some.
"'Never underestimate the big importance of small things,' Mrs. Elm said. 'You must always remember that.'"
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