Okay, buckle in because I have thoughts. I had heard nothing but hype for The Midnight Library, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but now I have all my thoughts collected and I’m ready to go. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. 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. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
Review
I did not get along well with The Midnight Library. But it took me a few days to really pick apart why and so I’ll try to be as concise as possible. I first want to say that I went back and read a lot of five star reviews of this. I will say that while I was reading them, I can concede that it’s one of those books where if you find a piece that resonates with you – I’m honestly thrilled for you. Book opinions are entirely subjective and there’s some very positive themes here about living your life and choice – so if you loved this book for that reason I do see it!
MCs and World
However, my main feedback is that The Midnight Library felt barebones. It has the elements to be something really impactful, intriguing, and powerful. But it falls short in its shallowness. I was intrigued by this idea of the multiverse, of choices and mistakes spread before us. And I felt the theme of feeling like everyone has their life together, but us was one that resonated with me. At the same time, I felt like Nora’s character was underdeveloped. All the qualities I normally look for in a character to be well rounded, felt like these choices were immediately mined for the library and multiverse premise without any real personality traits or preferences which just felt genuine to her?
In terms of side characters, I wish we had a better sense of them to feel their losses more. To see what Nora would be giving up in these lives. And that brings me to another large flaw in The Midnight Library – the world and the multiverses. I felt like we never sunk enough into these possibilities that these alternate choices felt detailed and fleshed out. Throughout, I never got a sense of stake in terms of what she would be missing or gaining.
Additionally, the premise of the Midnight Library was intriguing and never given enough depth. There were so many times side characters were like, “the library doesn’t work like it should”, but without a strong foundational core principle of the world these statements rang hollow and without any weight.
Themes?
Finally, when we talk about the theme or the lesson of The Midnight Library it felt simultaneously shallow and overhanded. There isn’t that “make up your mind about how you feel” perspective while also not having enough emotional depth to make a broad statement resonate. I found these moments where it was spelled out for us quick in terms of pacing and they felt like a drop in a bucket when they were supposed to ring echos after the last pages.
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If you’ve read, I’d genuinely like to know your feelings and thoughts. It’s hard when you read books in a vacuum without someone to bounce ideas off. Find The Midnight Library on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.