The Midnight Library

by Matt Haig

Release: August 2020
Format: Novel
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Adults
Content: Debatable Time Travel
Original Language: English

After thirty-something Nora Seed kills herself, she arrives as a possibly metaphorical library with an infinite number of books containing her possible lives, each one of which she may try out, always starting on the night of her suicide.

For me, the depiction of Nora’s suicidal ideation and eventual killing of herself were dismissive of those who face depression every day, and the outcome was fictionally romanticized in a way that may induce suicide rather than showing understanding and encouragement to seek out help when life is dark. I don’t see this as intentional by the author.

— Michael Main

“Every life contains many millions of decisions. Some big, some small. But every time one decision is taken over another, the outcomes differ. An irreversible variation occurs, which in turn leads to further variations. These books are portals to all the lives you could be living.”

DEBUT

The Midnight Library (Canongate Books, August 2020).

VARIANTS

2 English variants

TRANSLATIONS

Translations to German

TAGS(SPOILERS!)

Themes

Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Physics: just handwaving
Moments Surrounding Death: Nora keeps returning to the moment of her “root” death, but in different timelines where she hasn't tried to kill herself.
Travels into Yourself: Nora takes over her own body in different timelines.
Viewing the Past: just one incident at the river

Fictional Tags

Deities: Nora speculates on whether Mrs. Elm is God.

TIME TRAVEL ITINERARY (SPOILERS!)

From 33A Bancroft Ave., Bedford, England, 11:22 p.m., Tuesday, 28 April 2020 ⋙ to the Midnight Library, stuck at 12:00 midnight at the start of April 29. Note: We presume this is 2020 because of 28 April was a Tuesday.
From the Midnight Library, stuck at midnight ⋙ to outside a pub in Littleworth, Oxfordshire, 12:01 p.m. GMT, 29 April 2020. Round trip. Note: The pub that she and Dan now own in their married life.
From the Midnight Library, stuck at midnight ⋙ to 33A Bancroft Ave., Bedford, England, 12:01 p.m. GMT, 29 April 2020. Round trip. Note: In hopes that Volt lives.
From the Midnight Library, stuck at midnight ⋙ to Bronte Beach swimming pool near Sydney, 12:01 p.m. GMT, 29 April 2020. Round trip. Note: Because she went with Izzy to Australia.
From the Midnight Library, stuck at midnight ⋙ to a London hotel, 12:01 p.m. GMT, 29 April 2020. Round trip. Note: Because she’s an Olympic gold-medal winner on a tour giving inspirational talks.
From the Midnight Library, stuck at midnight ⋙ to a boat north of the Arctic Circle, 12:01 p.m. GMT, 29 April 2020. Round trip. Note: Because she’s a vulcanologist.
From the Midnight Library, stuck at midnight ⋙ to a concert in Sao Paulo, 12:01 p.m. GMT, 29 April 2020. Round trip. Note: Because she’s a rock star.
From the Midnight Library, stuck at midnight ⋙ to Bedford again, 12:01 p.m. GMT, 29 April 2020. Round trip. Note: Because she's living with dogs (and Dylan) in Bedford.
From the Midnight Library, stuck at midnight ⋙ to a vineyard in California, 12:01 p.m. GMT, 29 April 2020. Round trip. Note: Because she’s married to Eduardo, the winemaker.
From the Midnight Library, stuck at midnight ⋙ to perhaps a few thousand different places and lives, 12:01 p.m. GMT, 29 April 2020. Multiple round trips. Note: Just because.
From the Midnight Library, stuck at midnight ⋙ to Cambridge, 12:01 p.m. GMT, 29 April 2020. Note: Because she’s livin’ the life as a Cambridge philosopher, mother, and wife of Ash.
From Cambridge, after an unspecified amount of time with Ash and Molly ⋙ to the Midnight Library, with the clock now ticking!. Round trip.
From the Midnight Library, with the clock now ticking ⋙ to 33A Bancroft Ave., Bedford, England, 12:01 p.m. GMT, 29 April 2020. Note: In which she begins her own life anew with an ambulance ride.