"The Midnight Library," best-selling British author Matt Haig's latest book, tells the story of a woman in her thirties who, after suffering an overwhelming attack of hopelessness and despair,. Next, Nora asks to experience fame, and she is transported to a life where her band Labyrinth had made it big. 1. The moment you decide you want that life, really want it, then everything that exists in your head now, including this Midnight Library, will eventually be a dream. Spoiler warning: these summaries contains spoilers. 7. Matt Haig's The Midnight Library: A Therapist Reviews - Welldoing Nora immediately gets up out of the interview and heads downstairs, in shock and sadness, and soon she finds herself back at the Midnight Library. And who would be there? Back in her original life, Nora wakes up and throws up. As Nora travels through different iterations of her life, she begins to see the motivations of those in her root life more clearly. 'Easy read' books often get a bad reputation. This finale explores the truth behind Brightcliffe's troubled history via flashbacks, while in the present, there are emotional goodbyes and the Midnight Club members bring a . In a last-ditch effort to save the world, The Midnight Suns decide they'll interrupt Lilith's ritual and destroy the Darkhold with the God Killer, cueing the team to suit up and head into battle . PYL Book Club: Feb 2021 Bonus: The Midnight Library - Medium Elsewhere in the neighborhood, she sees the police arrest a boy for theft that turns out to be Leo. Afterwards, Nora wanders around town and thinks about Dan, her ex-fianc who shed left two days before their aborted wedding. Nora heads there and sees that she has a flatmate named Jojo, a quirky conspiracy theorist, that she doesnt recognize. She gives Nora a pen. date the date you are citing the material. Through social media, Nora sees that Izzy is still alive in this life, though its possible they never ended up meeting, and Dan is married to a spin instructor named Gina Lord. She sees that the lawn is overgrown. As she is transported to Sydney, she senses she is in the water. This recap of the Netflix series The Midnight Club season 1, episode 10, "Midnight," the ending explained, contains spoilers. [1] It was abridged and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 over ten episodes in December 2020. But while it's uncharted. The Library dissolves as Nora decides to live. When Nora lands back in the Midnight Library, its ablaze and shes on the pendulum between life and death, swinging dangerously close to the end. The book weaves elements of science fiction and fantasy with philosophical contemplations on human mortality, happiness, and personal choice.. She has spent over a decade unhappily working in a music store and finds herself struggling with her mental health. One tells the story of your life as . It turns out, I didnt need a midnight library to shift my own perspective. The Midnight Library: A Novel - amazon.com And then Nora wakes up. With that, shes transported into the life of an Arctic Researcher. 'The Midnight Library' is unusual in that it follows a plot with no twists, no turns that don't feel like a gentle glide. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance The second is the date of The Midnight Club is all about terminally ill kids, but one of the biggest twists this season was the revelation that one of the gang was, in fact, in recovery. Nora is supposed to give at the hotel. Next, Nora asks Mrs. Elm to take her to a life where her mother is still alive. Hugo, she learns, sees a video store instead of a library and a beloved uncle instead of Mrs. Elm. As she writes, I AM ALIVE, she awakes on her own mattress and vomits. A neighbor, Ash, informs her that her cat, Voltaire ("Volts"), has been hit by a car. The Midnight Library Matt Haig 4.02 1,302,455 ratings141,780 reviews Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Fiction (2020) Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. The Midnight Library Gifts & Merchandise for Sale | Redbubble When one actually appears, the prospect of her dying makes Nora acknowledge her desire to live. She knew that everything humans see is a simplification. Mrs. Elm: The librarian. The sea turtles I would have squealed about on vacation. Mrs. Elm responds that sometimes the only way to learn is to live. Online, Nora learns that Izzy died a month after they arrived in Australia. what sucks a measure of the color and life from 'The Midnight Library' is that Nora, as a character, doesn't really want anything. She just lost her job and cat, has fallen out with her brother and best friend and generally assumes she's a giant disappointment. It implies Augustine has died, at peace at last knowing an adult Iris is going to be safe. Back at the Library, Nora admits that the alternate reality had been different than shed imagined. Miss Manners: Uninvited colleague doesnt enjoy our lunchtime conversations. Our teacher made us read this, now writing an essay about the book and this is quite helpful for summarising all the key events of the book so thanks. In this reality, she also has a cat named Voltaire, but it looks different. As they talk, Nora apologies for breaking up the band, and Joe apologies for things hes done as well. Mrs. Elm (or something that resembles her) is here and serves as Nora's guide, explaining that the Library exists between life and death. Ultimately, it became a saga about how Kevin feels like he's let down everyone he loves. When presented with a chance to review The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, narrated by Carey Mulligan, I grabbed my earbuds and dove in. The Midnight Library opens with a teenaged Nora Seed, who is smart and a talented swimmer. Once thinks about how her family here (Molly, Ash, Plato, etc.) She jokingly suggests glaciology. Its here that the fundamental problem with her root life dawns on her: She had loved no one, and no one had loved her back., Yet and this is one of my favorite parts there are problems with this seemingly perfect existence. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, What would've happened if she'd married her fiance rather than walking out two days before the wedding? Start earning points for buying books! The Midnight Library. She now covers swimming for the BBC. Directed by George Clooney and starring Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Tiffany Boone . The writer/director gave . The Midnight Library: Recap & Book Summary - The Bibliofile She also comes across Ravi, her brother Joes best friend. a book review by Fran Hawthorne: The Paris Library: A Novel Eventually, Nora is heartbroken to appear in the Midnight Library yet again. And there's a deliberateness to it all. certain categories of personal information, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information. by Matt Haig. As the story progresses, Nora finds herself in lives that she could be more satisfied with than others that proved more difficult. "She didn't want to die. Advice for the relationships in your life and how to boost your own well-being. The Midnight Library is a 2020 novel by Matt Haig. Inside the library itself, Mrs. Elm's job is to present everything to Nora very clearly and to lay out the stakes very directly. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. And it is filled with nothing but books, shelves and, curiously, Nora's school librarian, Mrs. Elm. Back at the Library, things are falling apart. Nora is then transported into a life essentially exactly the same as her original life. Nora returns to her original life, except now with less regrets and hope for the future. the midnight library ending explained, books like the midnight library, the midnight library . As it nears midnight, Nora decides that its time for her to die. 'The Midnight Club': The Full Ending Explained and Your Questions The Midnight Club ending explained: Who is Dr. Stanton, really? (spoilers) Nora Seed was burdened by them. Contemplating her purposelessness in life, Nora texts her former best friend, Izzy (Isabel Hirsh), who lives in Australia now. She finds herself in the cabin of a boat. Hes slightly drunk, and Nora realizes that she has recently dumped him. As she comes to understand her loved ones better, she comes to forgive them more easily for their transgressions and the complications of their relationships. Nora considers that her lives have largely been about other peoples dreams her brothers dream about The Labyrinths, her fathers dream about swimming, Izzys dream about Australia, Dans dream about the bar, and even Mrs. Elms suggestion about glaciology. To her surprise, she comes to understand and forgive herself better through this process, too. Banerjee!) Book Companion. As she passes by her elderly neighbor, Mr. Banerjee, he informs her of the good news that he no longer needs her to pick up his medicine, but it makes Nora feel superfluous as a person. Joe is working as a sound engineer now. As Nora continues her Arctic adventure, Hugo approaches her. The rest of his friends didn't love . Later, we learn that Huge experienced it as a video store, with a cherished uncle instead of a librarian. She eventually finds a life she's happy in, but in the process she learns that her original life had value. The Midnight Library is an insightful and poignant exploration into regret, second chances and ultimately the joys and tribulations of simply living. Ultimately, Haig gives Nora (and those of us following along with her) a straightforward path from suicide to closure, from regret to acceptance. Now that weve all read Where the Crawdads Sing, can we talk about the ending? Review: 'The Midnight Library,' By Matt Haig : NPR Love Island's David on who is playing a game. Later, we learn that Huge experienced it as a video store, with a cherished uncle instead of a librarian. He realizes that he was dismissive of her panic attacks and it wasnt until Ewan got them, too, that he realized they were serious. He is apparently her manager, and he manages others as well. The Midnight Library is a 2020 novel by Matt Haig. Chapters 51 59 (Buena Vista Vineyard, The Many Lives of Nora Seed, Lost in the Library, A Pearl in the Shell, The Game, The Perfect Life, A Spiritual Quest for a Deeper Connection with the Universe, Hammersmith, Tricycle). The Midnight Library Chapters 53-71 Summary & Analysis But what sucks a measure of the color and life from The Midnight Library is that Nora, as a character, doesn't really want anything. The book follows Nora, a dejected 35 year old who, after overdosing, finds herself transported to a library. What do you think your Midnight Library would be? While the outcome is predictable, the forays into philosophy are relatable and offer good jumping off points whether to general philosophical ideas or to personal introspection. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. The one-paragraph version of this is: Nora Seed is unhappy in her life, tries to kill herself and finds herself at The Midnight Library, where she is able to try out different versions of her life. Also, in the original life, she and Joe had been there for her mother before her death. The Midnight Library Chapter Summaries - eNotes.com Nora is upset and late for work, and she gets fired by her boss, Neil. 'The Midnight Library' ending offers the perfect message for our time Joe also tells her that he happened to run into Ravi, who he hasnt seen in 10 years in this life, and he invited Ravi to Noras talk. How Does The Midnight Library End - Great Choice For Bookworms! (She overdoses. The world goes black. The Midnight library is an easy read, the chapters are short, the margins wide and the story simple. A woman is there, and she either is or resembles Mrs. Elm. This is where we begin, in Matt Haig's new novel, The Midnight Library: with a young woman on the verge of making a terrible choice. Before long, things in Noras life start to turn around. Still, she wonders what would have happened if shed stuck with it. He doesnt recognize her, though, because in this life they were never neighbors. Both men blame her for dropping out right when they had a chance at a major record deal. While talking with Raj, Lydia reminisces about her relationship with Gas 'n Donuts: "but her nostalgia for the place had never been strong enough to outweigh her dread of dredging up the past" (138). And in a multiverse of infinite choice and infinite possibility, I'm just not sure that the answer matters enough. Nora experiences a number of alternate lives in which she achieves a great deal of success in one area of her life at the expense of all the rest, be it in music, swimming, or polar exploration. As the library begins to disintegrate, signaling Noras waning existence, she must choose which life to commit to. 2. In this life, she never ended up teaching him piano. 3 Important Life Lessons From Matt Haig's 'The Midnight Library' After some convincing, Nora agrees to try on an alternate life. It's about Nora, a young woman who decides she isn't cut out for life. Soon, Nora is jumping from possible life to possible life with ravenous abandon. Depression is a terrible illness, heaven knows; but I doubt whether any sufferer has ever experienced such an elaborate and fantastical treatment for it as the . publication in traditional print. She thinks about how swimming was something shed pursued because it was important to her father, but not to her. When she inquires about Mrs. Elm, they inform her that Louise Elm died peacefully about three weeks ago. Then, Mrs. Elm talks to Nora about what success means to her, and Nora realizes that she doesnt know. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Later, we learn that Hugo experienced it as a video store, with a cherished uncle instead of a librarian. 9. [2] Through these alternate realities, she learns that the paths she'd regretted giving up weren't what she'd thought they would be. She begs, pleads, shouts at the universe to keep her alive. Nora ends up letting go of that life and returning to the Midnight Library as it is falling apart. Matt Haig's thought-provoking, uplifting new book, The Midnight Library discusses just that, exploring our relationship with regret and what really makes a perfect life.". The Midnight Library by Matt Haig ended up being a preachy, fictionalized self-help book that I didn't ask for and that wouldn't have helped anyway. Nora passes by String Theory and notes that it has closed not too long ago. The jokes I would have laughed at, or maybe even told. Matt Haig's The Midnight Library Review - Travel Book Review Nora also start volunteering at the homeless shelter once a week, and she considers getting a dog. Ravi blames Nora, but Nora says she was getting panic attacks that would have made it impossible. The first few lives Nora tries on are those that absolve her biggest regrets. This moment occurs at the end of Nora's first adventure in a parallel life. Instead, here, her mother had started drinking a lot after their father left and shed hid her sickness from Nora and Joe. The Midnight Library Reviews, Discussion Questions and Links She just lost her job and cat, has fallen out with her brother and best friend and generally assumes shes a giant disappointment. To be human was to continualy dumb down the world into an understandable story that keeps things simple. Matt Haig has achieved another No.1 Sunday Times bestseller with The Midnight Library. High quality The Midnight Library-inspired gifts and merchandise. As the night goes on, she notices how much Dan drinks and when they get into an argument, she learns that Dan has been unfaithful. Want to know what people are actually reading right now? Next, Nora asks to see a life where she had decided to move to Australia with Izzy. It turns out she would have made it to the Olympics, and her dad would still be alive (in her root life, he died young). She tries one where her cat was never allowed outside on the night of his death, one where she followed her swimming potential all the way to the Olympics, one where she moves to Australia with Izzy, one where she becomes a glaciologist, and one where she signs a record deal and becomes an international rock star. She is wracked with regret. In her present life, she wonders what might have . Nora also seeks out the real Mrs. Elm at the care facility to resume their games of chess. Note: this article may contain spoilers for The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The Midnight Library: an unexpected lesson from Matt Haig What is the setting of "Games at Twilight" by Anita Desai? Back at the Library, Mrs. Elm explains that basically even if Voltaire was an indoor cat, he wouldve died anyway from a heart condition. Voltaire wasnt hit by a car. Already a member? She just needed to realize that her own had potential, and that she could keep reinventing herself until she achieved happiness. The Midnight Library Marmalade and Mustardseed The Midnight Library is the place where Nora gets to find out. The Book of Regrets represents all the things Nora wishes she could change from her root lifethat is, the life she has actually lived. Nora plays chess with Mrs. Elm, the librarian. When Nora next returns to the library, it is dark. The library is immense. But in this new version of life, hes married to a woman he met at a swim meet, whom he left Noras mother for, likely accelerating the jilted womans death. In her e-mails, she finds an address for herself. More importantly, she is just deeply, seemingly irretrievably, sad. She and Ash are happily married, they have a daughter named Molly and a dog named Plato, and Nora is a Cambridge professor writing on sabbatical. So she ends it. Dylan is a good person. 'The Midnight Club' Ending Explained: Breaking Down That Final Twist The books are portals to the different lives Nora could have lived if she had made different decisions. Review: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - Book Club Chat Chapters 66 71 (Awakening, The Other Side of Despair, A Thing I Have Learned, Living Versus Understanding, The Volcano, How It Ends). With her regrets laid to rest and with hope for the future, Nora is able to turn her life around. The novel focuses on Nora Seed, a thirty-five year old woman from Bedford, England. Exploring the meaning of life in 'The Midnight Library'