A review by cathepsut
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Nora‘s life is miserably. She has a lot of regrets about missed opportunities. Then her cat dies and she looses her job. It‘s the last straw. She attempts suicide and instead of dyeing she finds herself in the Midnight Library. And there she gets the opportunity to remedy her regrets and try a multitude of alternative lives she might have had if she had made different choices. And the chance to find her perfect life.

I‘m not much of a mainstream reader, but this is a good one. Some reviewers complained that the book is too much like a self-help book at times. There is a hefty does of pop psychology. Sometimes it‘s a little heavy handed, but allover not too distracting. I enjoyed Nora‘s different lives, it was lively and fast moving. Yes, the beginning was pretty depressing and it was all a little too sugar coated at the end. But as an uplifting read it works well.

What I didn’t like: I was very uncomfortable with some of the scenes in Nora‘s alternative lives forcing her to deal with situations where she lacked knowledge and skills. It didn’t make sense for me to try on a different life missing so much crucial information.
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