The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (2020)
Troublesome for depressives
Book cover blurb
Between life and death there is a library.
When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.
The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.
Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?
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My Review
I've had to call it a day on this one, I just can't go any further than 101 pages. This book didn't work for me on so many levels. It's a great premise but the execution missed the mark I thought. Instead of a suicide victim, I would have thought this story would have been so much more enjoyable if it involved an accidental death. Given a second chance at life, maybe with a touch of humour, but hey that's just me.
My main hang-up here is the constant depressive undertones of the story. I would imagine if you don't suffer from mental health issues this would be a nice read, uplifting in a way even, but if you are unfortunate enough to have mental problems then this book will drag you down, every single sentence will remind you of mental darknesses within yourself that you would rather steer clear of. And yes, I am speaking from a place of experience.
This book had great potential, but its depressive nature made it unreadable for me. Sorry, Matt, The Humans is far better.
My copy of this novel
Canongate Books hardback edition.
Published in 2020
288 pages
ISBN 9781786892706