The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Book Summary

Nora Seed is a 36-year-old music store clerk who’s overwhelmed with regret about her life. In just over a day, her cat dies, she loses her job, has a bad encounter with a former bandmate, and loses her piano student. She’s also feeling isolated from her brother, Joe, and her best friend, Izzy, while her neighbor, Mr. Banerjee, no longer needs her help. Her parents passed away, and she left her fiancé, Dan, after her mother’s death. Filled with pain and regret, she tries to end her life.

But when Nora wakes up, she’s in the Midnight Library, a place between life and death. Time doesn’t move here, and she can explore different versions of her life in books. If she’s unhappy in a life, she returns to the library. Initially, Nora isn’t interested, but Mrs. Elm, her high-school librarian, encourages her to choose a book.

Nora visits various versions of her life. She discovers that Dan cheated on her in one, and in another, her cat Volts still dies. Mrs. Elm explains that Volts would have died in any life due to a heart condition, easing Nora’s regret.

Nora sees that different choices lead to different outcomes, like Izzy dying in a car accident if they went to Australia together or her father living longer if she became an Olympic swimmer. She also experiences success but loneliness as a powerful speaker and fame but scandals as a rock star.

In one life, she nearly dies as a glaciologist, leading her to realize she wants to live. She meets Hugo, another traveler, who shares insights about reality. She also explores a life where her band succeeds but faces tragedies.

As Nora explores more lives, she begins to lose herself and desires a stable one. She finds a loving life with Ash, her husband, and daughter Molly. Despite its goodness, she feels she didn’t earn it and can’t stay. Nora tries to return to the library, but it’s falling apart, and her watch starts ticking again. Mrs. Elm suggests she might be dying in her original life.

Desperate to live, Nora writes “I AM ALIVE” in her root life’s book, causing the library to vanish. She wakes up on the brink of death and seeks help from her neighbor, reconciles with her brother and Izzy, and reconnects with gratitude. She even plays chess with Mrs. Elm, realizing life’s unpredictability.