Monday, October 4, 2021

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY, by Matt Haig

   


Literature -- 2 stars

Nora Seed's life is falling apart, and she is ready to die.  Her suicide attempt is interrupted by her arrival in a vast library.  "And within that library, the shelves go on for ever.  Every book provides a change to try another life you could have lived.  To see how things would be different if you had made other choices."  Which will she choose? ----- This book seems to be everywhere.  After scrolling past ad after ad, and review after review, curiosity finally got the best of me. It's a short, easy read; and now I'm sitting here wondering why it is so popular.  Sure, we've all fantasized about another universe, another life we could be living...if I win the lottery, I'll... if I'd finished that college degree, I'd be... if I'd married/not married, my life would...  But this space between life and death that gives Nora the chance to try a few alternate lives on for size comes off as a trite device leading her to realize the life she has is her best fit.  I guess it's supposed to be a lesson for us all, but I found it heavy handed and obvious.  Judging from other reviewers, I am in the minority.

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