'Between life and death there is a library,' she said. 'And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. 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?'

Thirty-four-year-old Nora's life could be better. She's lonely, single and has just lost her job. Her cat dying feels like the last straw. What else is there to live for? Then she finds a library between life and death where she gets to try all the other lives she could have lived.

The Midnight Library is a gloriously relatable novel about life, death and the in-between. It is about finding hope, playing chess, dumping regrets and picking the right people around you.

Please note: contains references to suicide and listener discretion is advised

Listening Length

9 hours and 9 minutes
Author

Matt Haig
Narrator

Carey Mulligan
Audible release date

13 August 2020
Language

English
Publisher

Canongate Books
ASIN

B085LJSH5B
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	9 hours and 9 minutes
Author	Matt Haig
Narrator	Carey Mulligan
Audible.com.au Release Date	13 August 2020
Publisher	Canongate Books
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B085LJSH5B
Best Sellers Rank	333 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 1 in Magical Realism Fiction 4 in Magical Realism

Customer reviews

5 star		46%
4 star		35%
3 star		15%
2 star		3%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from Australia

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Joanne Smith

It was just OK

Reviewed in Australia on 30 November 2020

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Love the premise of The Midnight Library and how well constructed the concept of it is, but I just didn’t care about Nora!

For some reason I could not engage with her character at all and wasn’t bothered where she lived or if she lived. Sorry, I probably sound like a heartless brute!

That said, I needed to know how things panned out so I finished the book and found the ending sweet. Even for a heartless brute.

18 people found this helpful

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Rebecca Bowyer

Loved the premise of this book so much

Reviewed in Australia on 13 September 2020

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I loved the premise of this book so much and I loved reading it even more! This is the perfect book for anyone who has many (or any!) regrets in their life.

This is "Sliding Doors" on steroids - what if you could get a sneak peak of what your life would look like if you'd made just one decision differently? Maybe it would have been a thousand times better. Or maybe it wouldn't have been...

8 people found this helpful

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Amanda

A book I'll read more than once

Reviewed in Australia on 23 April 2021

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This book took me a while to get into, but I persisted as I enjoy Matt Haig's writing. I am so pleased I did, as this is one of those rare books which will stay with me.
The storyline is fascinating and abstract, thought provoking and unsettling at times. However, it's brilliant insight into people's lives and the 'what could've been' in real-time, is an intriguing storyline.

5 people found this helpful

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Clyve Westerlund

Both a Memoir & Overture of Life - This is Awe-Inspiring

Reviewed in Australia on 30 May 2022

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I find myself lately reading what I think are very good books. From the pleasant to the thought provoking to the fun to the serious and enlightening to the masterful to the beautiful to the despairing and tragic. This I tell you is a read that yet again I cannot properly articulate into language on the fundamental essence of its themes and context. To put simply, it is quite something that I totally did not expect in many ways, although I expected in some. But as I read and discovered, it is truly remarkable.

So here is what I will write with my utmost ability in describing something so accessibly written and simply said, yet so profound and significant. What comes to mind when I recall back as I turned from page to page is a question - “What Does It Mean To Be Human?”. It is apparent to me that I am yet again, reminded that what seems to be the things we want aren’t necessarily so and the things we truly need or want have been many a times right in front of us I suppose.

When I look up at the stars at night, I am acutely aware how insignificant and meaningless we all are individually. How abysmal most of our efforts are in trying to live up to Human made concepts of what is considered to be an appropriate life and how one should behave. What I have learned from this is that there is no appropriate way, there is of course being a decent human being and how we can treat each other better. But there is NO absolute way of living. There is just living and figuring it out as we go along.

The Midnight Library would definitely be one of my cherished books for this time around, as it solicits perspectives, drives hard the extremes of what is possible, and forces one to contemplate infinity and the singularity of all things. For some reason, I feel hope because I feel I have a better understanding of what being present in your current situation entails. This perhaps is cliche and cringy to say, but it’s the truth. I believe we all know this, but we tend to need reminders every now and then. After all, our perfection as individuals and on the whole; Humanity, is that our perfection lies within the imperfections, the Chaos of Life.

I conclude my personal review with this; with another idea or perhaps a stipulation: everyone has their own direction of life and their own codes of philosophy to live by, yet the as we slowly step towards the vast and endless unknown, it is the potential of the indeterminate future that allows us to discover new things, try different things, and grow and break and grow and break again. I believe that is what we call progress. If you cannot tell from my bias, this book is definitely worth the time to read and consider and contemplate. I am in a situation right now where I am hesitant on certain moves and of future prospects, but this has provided some much needed clarity.

Not bad Haig. You indeed did your job.

One person found this helpful

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koala

Predictable and falls down fast

Reviewed in Australia on 15 April 2021

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Started off ok but then became so boring, repetitive and predictable. Forced myself to finish it in the hopes the ending would be something interesting but it's exactly what you think it'll be. Main character was irritating too. I had high hopes for this based on the reviews but it was a waste of my time in the end.

4 people found this helpful

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Les Stanley

Be careful what you wish for

Reviewed in Australia on 28 January 2021

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I enjoyed this book. I was prompted to read it as inspiration for a book I am writing covering a similar subject. Matt Haig's storyline convinces us that multiple lives might be possible but that they will not necessarily turn out the way we might imagine. I loved the concept of "the book of regrets" getting smaller each time Nora realised, by experiencing another life, that her real life wasn't so bad after all. Great read. I did feel that some of the concepts could have been explored more deeply.

3 people found this helpful

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Best book I’ve read in a long time!

Reviewed in Australia on 30 August 2021

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I connected with the storyline so much, perhaps being in my late 30s and at a point in my own life where it’s easy wonder about life decisions, when thoughts of what’s ifs, should haves or ‘who knows what might have happened’ continually linger. But it’s true - the grass isn’t always greener!

I love the premise of this story and the style of writing hooked me right in from page 1. Easy to read, and kept me guessing and wondering where the story might go.

Great lessons to learn here - key messages being, no matter what we choose to do in life, happiness isn’t a complete end state. It’s all the little things - the ups/downs of life that make up a complete life. The love we give and receive, with an open heart and change of perspective. How all of our actions will always have a reaction but there’s comfort in the fact that, where we are is okay, it will never be perfect and you have the power to make it what you want. Don’t take life for granted, relationships included. Definitely a powerful read and look inside the struggle of loneliness, connection and mental health. Something I think, the world can definitely relate to.

Can’t wait to see how they turn this one into a movie. You can see it all play out in your head. Great escape.

5 out of 5! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Delightful and thought-provoking

Reviewed in Australia on 3 May 2022

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A delightful, thought-provoking story that explores life with an intriguing plot that, while a bit repetitive on occasions, is intriguing. If you've ever lived with regrets or wondered if you could have a better life than the one you're living now, this book is for you. The pacing is leisurely and it's an excellent exploration of philosophical themes in an engaging, readable style. Highly recommend.

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Top reviews from other countries

BTPBookClub

Life changing. Powerful. Amazing. Beautiful. Uplifting. A must read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 August 2020

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I don't think I can do this book/review enough justice but I'm going to give it my best shot... If there is one book I would urge you and shout at you to buy it would be this on. Go do it. Treat yourself You will not regret it. I promise. This is going straight into my top twenty of the year reads. I've awarded it five stars and I'd award more if I could! How do I start?

I must admit it's not what I expected at all. But I feel it was just what I needed right now honestly. This book is going to be huge. This book for me was amazing, outstanding, life changing, powerful and thought provoking. Honestly have you ever felt so low you wanted to die? Then this book is for you. It will change your whole perspective on life. It has for me. It's taught me A LOT of life lessons and how I see my life. I actually have fallen in love with this book and I don't say that lightly.

I don't want to ruin this for anyone but if you could view every possible outcome of your life would you? Would you ever be happy? Just wow. It's taught me to open my eyes, appreciate what I have not what I want. Life is life. Life is beautiful. I loved it all. I devoured it in a day. Beautifully told. An easy read for me done in a day but one I felt I NEEDED to read right at this moment in my life. Now this is my review others may feel differently about this book and some may hate it. But I cant explain how much I loved, enjoyed and needed this book. One I can always go back too when I'm feeling low. Uplifting.

So thank you Matt. Absolutely brilliant. Grateful. It's really made me think and I miss it already. Perfection.

633 people found this helpful

alifabw

Really disppointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 September 2020

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I bought this based on all the 5-star reviews and having read and enjoyed Matt Haig's children's books. It was an interesting premise and I found that I was thinking about the story a lot, but not in a good way! I felt that it treated a serious subject (suicide) in a very trite way and I was left feeling that I had just been preached at/lectured about the important things in life. Although I could accept the idea of parallel universes I found it unbelievable that Nora could be a world-class performer in so many different fields and the book actually left me feeling angry at the ease with which everything was resolved at the end.

434 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Bleedin brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 August 2020

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I f****** love this book. Matt haig is the most reassuring and comforting author i have ever read. Once I nearly died and after I realised my issue was not with life but with being alive and not living, this book captures so much of that. I read it all today and ironically it is nearly midnight.

297 people found this helpful

dandelion

Great idea, poor execution

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2020

Verified Purchase

After reading the sample I had downloaded, I was completely hooked and bought the book immediately. I found the description of the state of mind of the heroin compelling and convincing. However, 2 chapters later, it was already clear what the morale of the story was going to be, and unfortunately, it was conventional and lazy writing.
***SPOILER ALERT***
The heroin goes from one life to the next realising slowly that, after all, she is important and her life is good and that she does want to live. Admirable sentiment but has been done tons of times before. What could have been a nuanced story about the human condition became a predictable, boring plot. It's a shame, it could have been a fascinating story.

246 people found this helpful

Patrick F

Predictable, Simple, Ultimately Pretty Boring

Reviewed in the United States on 2 October 2020

Verified Purchase

Disappointingly trite.

I was looking forward to this book. In fact, it’s the first book in years that I actually pre-ordered. The premise is interesting enough: there is an ethereal library that exists between life and death. You are permitted to choose any book from the shelves and each book contains an alternative life. Each life is what would have resulted if you changed a single decision you regretted. Interesting, right? Like you could see what would have happened if you’d gone for that coffee date or pursued that master’s degree or kept playing piano. In the midst of each new life, if the life-hopper finds herself disappointed, she winds up back at the library to try again. Eventually, you’ll either find a life that is the best possible outcome or your “root life” blinks you away into death.

Unfortunately, the premise is played out in the most expected way possible. Nora Seed reverses her regrets and realizes that even the best alternate universes have uncertainties and pain and sadness and disappointment. Even when she winds up with her dream job and a great family, she can’t stay to play this life out. Why? Well, because it isn’t really “hers.” So, surprise, surprise, she ends up waking up from her suicide attempt with a new appreciation for the life she once had and longed to depart.

If you read the first 30-40 pages of this book, you’ll probably be able to write the rest of it in your mind. It’s supposedly an opportunity to explore infinite universes, so why choose the most predictable course of actions? To get across the point that you ought to realize the beauty of the life we have around us? Just write a greeting card to convey the message; an entire book is unnecessary. Additionally, it seems like the author either doesn’t understand or chose not to really explore the idea of infinite options. In all her lives, the most remarkably unique one is granted one sentence of exploration, “In one life she only ate toast” (212). Every other life is just variations on themes of work, friends, romantic partners, and family. Of the infinite possibilities available to explore, nothing unexpected happens. It’s maddening as the author keeps smashing his readers over the head with ideas that anything might happen while never delivering on the promise.

The writing style is difficult to evaluate. It just feels there. Sentence after sentence slowly moving the predictable story forward. It’s utilitarian prose lacking poetry and depth--seemingly at odds with a book that is attempting to spelunk the internal caverns of a deeply depressed person. The author constantly quotes philosophers but doesn’t seem to have any real interest in engaging seriously with philosophical ideas. It’s a novel in form but a cheesy self-help book in content. This novel is a seed of an interesting idea which was never cared for and died below ground. Unfortunate.

D-

2,396 people found this helpful

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