The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - Book Review

This Thursday is World Book Day and Gibraltar Cultural Services has organised several initiatives in place of in person events including book reviews by local avid readers. The World Book Day offering forms part of GCS’s Youth Arts Jamboree. Book reviews will be published in the Chronicle daily until this Friday.

by Karissa Pizzarello

Have you ever wished you’d made different choices? Ever wished you didn’t carry so many regrets? A discussion on the infinite number of lives not taken, Matt Haig’s newest book ‘The Midnight Library’ takes its readers on a beautiful journey of choices, regrets and embracing life.

“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices… Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”

An enchanting, beautifully written book to get lost in, I found ‘The Midnight Library’ to be absolutely captivating. Following the story’s main protagonist Nora Reed on her journey through her multiple lives, readers find themselves revisiting similar regrets, remembering lost opportunities and ultimately learning a few life lessons alongside Nora herself. Though Matt’s work might not be for everyone, in fact it won’t be for everyone, I found ‘The Midnight Library’ an easy, comforting read, dripping in wisdom. Matt’s writing reminds us to take a step back and appreciate all that we have and who we are. I hope you give this book a chance and love it as much as I did and remember, “You don’t have to understand life. You just have to live it.”

Karissa Pizzarello is currently working as the Research and Partnerships Coordinator at the University of Gibraltar.

Read more about World Book Day here.