Please Note:  I received an advance audio copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. 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?”

A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.

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?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, 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 listened to The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig, as part of my book club, but also because I received a copy through Penguin Random House Audio's reviewers program.  I didn't quite know what to expect.  Was the story a fantasy, or a contemporary fiction?  It was all that and more.  

As a young woman lingers between life and death, she is transported into "The Midnight Library" where she can reflect about how her choices shaped her life.  She is given opportunities to open new "books" of her life, where she makes different choices, to see if she would rather life that life.  She's a scientist, a rock star, married with kids, married without kids, and everything in between.

Is this really happening?  Or is this just her mind cycling through many fleeting thoughts as she is dying?  We don't really know.  I found this book to be a thoughtful reflection on depression, our life choices, and the regrets we all feel.  It was also really fun to see the different versions of Nora, and the unintended consequences of her decisions.

What I Liked:

Narrator:

Carey Mulligan adds so much as the story's narrator.  This novel centers around a British woman, so having her lovely accent made Nora a much more believable person to me as a listener.  Plus, Milligan is very good at acting out all the characters.  There are different versions of many of the people in Nora's life.  But I never felt confused by all the characters.  She made each one come to life.

Premise:

If you could make different life choices, would you?  What if you had said yes to that person who wanted to meet for coffee?  What if you had pursued that dream of being a musician?  On the surface, Nora likes the idea that her life would have been better if only she had made different decisions.  Since her current life seems very bleak, this also only reinforces the guilt she feels that she is responsible for her misery, and also for her brother's messed up life.  Filled with so much regret, it's no wonder she is depressed.

Themes:

As Nora tries out different versions of her life, she see that not only her story has changed, but the people in her life also have different outcomes. But is she responsible or are they?  This theme of responsibility, and accountability, continues throughout the book.  It seemed to me that she was certainly responsible for her own choices, but never had control of how others reacted. 

There was message that although the grass is always greener in your neighbor's yard, no life is perfect.  Every life Nora chose had good points and bad.  Even in situations where Nora seems to "have it all", she deals with pressures, and disappointments. She also starts to realize that maybe her first life wasn't all bad.  

Characters:

Nora is a woman dealing with depression, and is full of regrets.  At the start of the book, she can't help but feel her life is beyond repair.  She blames herself for everything that has gone wrong with her life, and for any bad thing that her loved ones experience.  With so much unhappiness and guilt, it's not surprising she considers suicide.  As she considers all the different lives she could have, I found myself empathizing with Nora.  Haven't we all thought "if only" we had made more of an effort, our lives would be better?  I think we all have those thoughts at various moments.

Multiple Life Stories:

I loved all the different versions on Nora's life.  Who doesn't dream of being a rock star?  Or an Olympic champion?  Or living a quiet life as a winemaker (okay, maybe that is just a California dream)?  Each story was compelling as Nora has to first, figure out where she is, and what her new life is like.  How does she do this?  Mr. Google, of course!  But, often, she pops into another life right in the middle of something important.  I really enjoyed the story where Nora was a rock star. She jumps into that life on stage, in the middle of a performance!  This sounds like an anxiety dream (nightmare) I often have!  

The stories also show that each life comes with a set of challenges that never let her be completely happy all the time.  There are always problems.  How you deal with them is what determines if you can remain satisfied with your life, or not.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  September 29th, 2020

Author:  Matt Haig

Audio Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio

Audio Narrator:  Carey Mulligan

Audio Length:   8 Hours, 50 Minutes

Print Publisher:  Viking Press

Page Length:  288 Pages

Source:  Penguin Random House Audio

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  I truly entertaining novel.  This was fun, but also bittersweet and thoughtful.  I highly recommend this book.