In The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, Nora Seed is full of regrets. She regrets that she didn’t join a band with her brother, and she regrets that she didn’t get married to Dan. She regrets that she didn’t take good enough care of her cat, and she regrets that she never became a glaciologist. After an especially difficult day, she decides that the harm done to the people in her life if she died is less than the harm that would occur to them if she continued living. She ends up intentionally overdosing on pills - but she doesn’t die. Instead, she finds herself in a strange library full of green books and masterminded by her elementary school librarian, Mrs. Elm. In this library, just by opening a book, she is able to live through another version of her life where she made a different decision. If she likes that life, she is able to continue living in it forever. But no matter what book she reads, there’s always something missing. And unfortunately, she’s running out of time to find the right life and leave the strange library between life and death.
I liked this book, but it wasn’t exactly the best book I’ve ever read. The concept was interesting by itself and the explanations about the multiverse and quantum mechanics intrigued me. I was a little disappointed by the second half of the book, where it seemed like the author stopped telling a story and began writing a self-help novel. It felt a little preachy and forced to me, and made me less invested in the story. Regardless, the novel was still interesting and easy to get through. I would recommend it to anyone who wants an interesting story with a nice message behind it, or those who enjoy some sci-fi elements in their books. I give it three stars out of five.