The Midnight Library - Matt Haig // Book Review

   

The Midnight Library

Matt Haig || Publication Date - 13.08.2020

Imagine feeling like each decision you have ever made in your life could be undone and you could experience what your life could have been.

Contemporary | Fiction | Literary

Nora finds herself at an all time low. She's lost her job, her depression is gripping her life and of all things her beloved cat has passed away. What was left for her?

After struggling to grasp any real reason to continue being alive, Nora fatefully decides to end her life. However, this decision opens her up to a world where any decision she has ever made could be undone. Nora would have the opportunity to see what life could have been like if she had never made decisions she regretted in life.

Does this mean Nora will be fulfilled in attempting to fix what she regrets in life? Or will everything remain as dismal as it was before she took this unexpected journey?

The Review (May Contain Spoilers)

This novel was a ride!

From the beginning I was skeptical. It was taking a long time to get anywhere and even though the premise made sense, I felt as if it took a few too many times to actually get to the meaty part of the novel. I did audibly complain that this book was repetitive, and considering it brings in the multiverse theory, it felt like groundhog day. I believe it was the last 100 pages of this novel where things actually started to move forward with the narrative it was trying to tell, and I do believe some of the writing could have been cut down to save on being repetitive.

We get it, she can choose any of the millions of books in her Library and live that life.

That being said, I loved the writing and the main character Nora. Her messy life and circumstances made this novel relatable and highlighted real questions I'm certain everyone has asked themselves when things haven't gone right.

It was very easy to sit there with her and wonder "What would have happened if I had done this differently".

This book also gave rise to one of my favourite quotes:

"So long as there are still books on the shelves, you are never trapped. Every book is a potential escape."

I've never annotated a book before, and The Midnight Library was the first I had read which made me want to do it. There were so many quotes and passages which were fantastic to read and reflect on.

Overall Thoughts

If you like contemporary fiction, or maybe even like reflecting on life, I would highly recommend this book to you. It has amazing writing, the premise is solid and it really has a feel good ending which despite the content, made me feel as if things are okay even if they're not.

The novel does touch on mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and suicide. If this is something you cannot read about or would not be able to comfortably take in, then this book would not be for you. The main character does in some passages get very emotional and offloads to the reader her feelings which could be triggering for some.

** Affiliate Links **

Blackwells - https://blackwells.pxf.io/QYXqWP

Booktopia - https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/jR4EBe

Wild Dark Shore - Charlotte McConaghy // Book Review

 

Wild Dark Shore
Charlotte McConaghy || Publication Date - 04.03.2025

It's amazing what a little isolation and a climate crisis will make you do.

Fiction | Literary | Thriller

A small family living on an isolated island between the ocean of Tasmania and Antarctica have saved a woman from a frozen grave. Her wounds were extensive, Dominic had little hope she would make it. However, his suspicion gripped when he couldn't think of a reason why she would be here at all. No one comes here.

This family only have a few weeks left before they would be packaging precious cargo and moving off this god forsaken rock. Each day looms ever closer that the ocean is rising, weather is more chaotic and the world is falling victim to impending climate change.

The woman has come here to find something, the family are trying to keep things hidden, and nothing will prepare them for what comes next.

The Review (May Contain Spoilers)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this eARC for an honest review!

I could easily write my own novel as to why this book was incredible. Everyone in this story is on edge, and you can really get roped in with their emotions as their conversations wax and wane through various topics. It was truly a devastating and haunting experience of a novel.

Exploring multiple themes over the length of a few weeks, I found it impressive in the way that it effortlessly weaves in and out of family, tragedy and compassion. You are never given the time to get comfortable with the characters, new aspects of their history on the island or interactions with other characters constantly throw new and tense situations into the mix. Towards the end I was gripping my seat because it all comes crashing into a myriad of emotions and circumstances that by the end of it, you're sitting there pondering everything that's just happened.

This novel explores what it's like to be human. The various emotions we exhibit and how perception changes and alters the way we feel about certain situations. What it's like from the outside looking into a future where humans have radically changed the course of an entire planet and it's inhabitants. Most importantly, and my personal favourite, the resilience of nature in all its forms.

It discusses the choice to have a family, how this choice can impact the lives of not only the ones coming into the world, but also those already existing. The biggest impact was the commentary of who really has this choice. Subtle cues indicating that even though women are the ones creating the life inside their bodies, they're almost expected to throw their own life away in the process, especially if something bad were to happen during birth.

Lastly how love transcends all other emotions. It's almost written in this novel as a superhuman aspect of humanity. It can be powerful and heartbreaking all at the same time. However, it remains to be said that without it, humanity would fail. The smallest things have an impact, and it can chain into some of the biggest accomplishments our species can achieve.

Overall Thoughts

Despite the bleak and overarching impending doom of the planet due to climate change, I don't know if I speak for everyone when I admit I found this book incredibly uplifting. It's slow pace was really the only negative for me in terms of narrative. However, towards the end, everything ramps up and all you're left with is sitting on the couch for 10 minutes while you ponder your life and everything in it.

The social commentary within the book is provoking enough on its own without throwing in the countless moral dilemmas that happen to all the characters. It left me with so much to think about, so many passages that resonate with me and I truly believe this will be a novel that sticks with me for a while.

I would highly recommend this novel, especially if you run a book club or discussion groups. Everything in this book is primed for conversation, which in turn a lot of these conversations being prompted are incredibly relevant to today's issues. A phenomenal piece of literature and I hope it gets the praise it deserves.

** Affiliate Links **

Blackwells - https://blackwells.pxf.io/L01voj

Booktopia - https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/QYXqeP