The Midnight Library

Matt Haig

The Midnight Library is a book that seemingly everyone but me had read, so I figured it was time when my hold at the library finally became available.

The story was very intriguing and I enjoyed the way it approaches the idea of happiness and success in life, and the way each little decision can have a massive impact on the outcome, even if it does it in a fairly melancholy way at times. This quote captures the mood fairly well:

“And that sadness is intrinsically part of the fabric of happiness. You can’t have one without the other. Of course, they come in different degrees and quantities. But there is no life where you can be in a state of sheer happiness for ever. And imagining there is just breeds more unhappiness in the life you’re in.”

A bit depressing at times, sure, but still overall every time I sat down to read a few chapters I came away enjoying the story.

This was the second work of fiction in a row on my reading list, after Nobber, and it was certainly a much easier and more leisurely read. It gave me a lot to ponder and some interesting perspectives on life. Somewhere between fantasy and science fiction, it's hard to precisely classify The Midnight Library. Even though these sort of fantastical/magical books aren't usually my genre of choice, I did enjoy this read!