The Midnight Library, Matt Haig | Book Review

Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library took me on a journey of mental health, regret, appreciation for life, family, friends. This book covers so much and is so valuable, so here’s me trying to do it justice in review form.

The Midnight Library, Matt Haig

Themes: Fiction, Mental Health, Suicide, Regret

Reading Format: Hardback

5 STARS // 10 CAWPILE

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This book has trigger warnings for suicide, cancer, death, drugs, alcohol, depression. This book talks a lot about different avenues of mental health and talks openly about them. 

Yes. This book received a full rating from me on CAWPILE and I stand by that. This book talks about so many different topics, but most of it all it is about regret and the paths we take in life. Matt Haig’s writing is raw and beautiful, whilst also conveying so many important messages in a brilliantly told story. Haig uses Nora to tell his story, Nora is dreadfully unhappy and suffering from depression, but from this darkness, Nora is given a choice. She is given the chance to look at all the paths she could have taken in life and see if she wants to settle in one of them. She can look at her very own book of regrets and can explore each avenue to see what would have happened if she’d have explored different angles in her life.

I doubt there is a person alive that lives with zero regrets, and if there is, I take my hat off to them. But the sheer relatability of this book means I think I’d recommend it to near enough anyone. Nora sees so many different lives she could have had, she is rich, poor, alone, married, has a child, has a cat, is famous, is working her dream job. This book lets the reader live out their own dreams through Nora and I love that about it. Nora is so real and just… well… human. She could be you or your friend or your neighbour. Haig has done a truly fantastic job at bringing his readers to life in the pages of these books, which makes this book read as something very special indeed.

Aside from the leading concept of this book, it also looks at our relationships with others, how we treat those we love, how we treat ourselves, our planet. At one point Nora works in climate change and we get an insight into the failings we as humans are offering to our planet. Matt Haig honestly does try to put a lot of issues into this book of humanity and he succeeds. This book is almost an anthem of literature for change, regret and living our lives how we want to live them. I really liked that this book certainly leaves you wanting to live your life to the full, but also that doesn’t have to be scuba diving and cliff diving, it can be enjoying the things you love and finding joy in them.

This book was such a simple concept that just dug so deep into its themes. I always think Matt Haig does a brilliant job of normalising talking about mental health and this book is no exception. He clearly writes from experience and with care. Reading this book may make you feel a little less alone, I would highly advise it.

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