Meanwhile, Noras father, Geoffs, life had taught him the lesson that life was meant to screw you over. One of the reasons I love to read is because it quiets my mind. Enough of a theoretical portion of an infinity that she feels as though she has seen them all by the time we're closing on the final pages. She sees that the lawn is overgrown. The call is amicable, and they agree to remain friends. Clue #2: The Midnight Club novel's ending. 6. 'The Midnight Library' is unusual in that it follows a plot with no twists, no turns that don't feel like a gentle glide. date the date you are citing the material. But in this new version of life, hes married to a woman he met at a swim meet, whom he left Noras mother for, likely accelerating the jilted womans death. Meanwhile, String Theory has closed down, as was the case in the Dylan reality as well. In her e-mails, she finds an address for herself. The Midnight Library is an insightful and poignant exploration into regret, second chances and ultimately the joys and tribulations of simply living. Nora leaves a voicemail for her brother and pens a suicide note, directed to whoever. Inside the library itself, Mrs. Elm's job is to present everything to Nora very clearly and to lay out the stakes very directly. It occurs to her to try a life where shed accepted Ashs coffee date once upon a time, instead of rejecting it because shed been with Dan at the time. Perhaps endless. Inside the library, Nora is met by a familiar face: Mrs. Elm, her school librarian from childhood. She drags herself to her neighbors door, and he calls an ambulance as she collapses before him. The only question left hanging over all of it is which one she'll finally choose. For a short while it seems appealing, but it soon becomes clear that the relationship has problems which Nora does not feel compelled to take on. From there, Nora tests out a multitude of lives as a concert pianist, having a teenage son, as a travel vlogger, as a cat-sitter, as an aid worker and even coming across Hugo again. Chapters 66 71 (Awakening, The Other Side of Despair, A Thing I Have Learned, Living Versus Understanding, The Volcano, How It Ends). More importantly, she is just deeply, seemingly irretrievably, sad. Each book represents a different version of Nora's life, a life of joys and sorrows, people and places, events and tragedies that spawned from a single choice, a decision, or in the case of this girl so full of regrets, something that didn't happen because she didn't make that choice. Theres a guy, Ewan, that he has recently met there, and Nora enthusiastically encourages Joe to ask Ewan out. Everything changes because of Anya's . (She overdoses. This is the correct order to apply your skincare. What do the stories mean? While talking with Raj, Lydia reminisces about her relationship with Gas 'n Donuts: "but her nostalgia for the place had never been strong enough to outweigh her dread of dredging up the past" (138). T.J.Parker 212 Followers My not so random reviews and thoughts What had she done? As Mrs. Elm reminds her: Never underestimate the big importance of small things., Now that youve read The Last Thing He Told Me, lets talk about the ending. Shed ended up part-way through and not knowing which way to go in order to survive. As in the book that inspired it the Midnight Club is a gathering of terminally ill teens telling each other scary stories in front of the fire. 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. He is currently the restaurant critic at Philadelphia magazine, but when no one is looking, he spends his time writing books about giant robots and ray guns. Nora and Joe talk, and he admits that he was a jerk to her for a while over the whole band thing. Log in here. "well plotted and richly populated" For the young Parisian Odile Souchet in the winter of 1939, working in the American Library in Paris sounds like her ideal job. The Midnight Library. Even as a rock star, Joe had stuck with her because she was making him money, not because theyd sorted out their issues. Later, we learn that Huge experienced it as a video store, with a cherished uncle instead of a librarian. Tales From the Radiation Age is his latest book. She tries one where her cat was never allowed outside on the night of his death, one where she followed her swimming potential all the way to the Olympics, one where she moves to Australia with Izzy, one where she becomes a glaciologist, and one where she signs a record deal and becomes an international rock star. Required fields are marked *. In this life, she never ended up teaching him piano. Ask Amy: I wanted flowers after my miscarriage. Antidepressants. They have a dog named Plato. Shes dissatisfied with her life. Nora ends up letting go of that life and returning to the Midnight Library as it is falling apart. Overdose. Later, she awakes in the hospital. Also, in this reality, Nora is still close with Izzy, which makes her happy. Nora's life hasn't quite turned out the way she expected, and a series of events lead to suicide. 4. Mrs. Elm tells Nora how to exit, by finding the book representing her original life, and the Midnight Library dissolves. Nora is supposed to give at the hotel. She is playing chess with the school librarian, Mrs. Elm, when she gets the news about her father's death. Nora can stay in these alternate realities as long as she desires, but if she loses her will to live in the process then she will die forever. " The Midnight Library ," by Matt Haig A library that contains an infinite number of books: talk about the dream. Nora is sad and confused. The Midnight Library is unusual in that it follows a plot with no twists, no turns that don't feel like a gentle glide. The sea turtles I would have squealed about on vacation. Yes, it really is that simple. She jokingly suggests glaciology. She now covers swimming for the BBC. Matt Haig's thought-provoking, uplifting new book, The Midnight Library discusses just that, exploring our relationship with regret and what really makes a perfect life.". Harper's Bazaar (UK) "British author Matt Haig is beloved in his home country, and he's a champion of mental health, which makes him a great person to follow on . Nora doesnt understand what is happening. Chapters 5 6 (How to Be a Black Hole, Antimatter). Joe seems to be a part of her life, and he is married to Ewan, who hed met at a cross-training class. Dylan mentions having happened to have seen Mrs. Elm not too long ago at the Oak Leaf Residential Care Home, a retirement home. The film ends with Iris and Ade in the cockpit, turning the ship around to head to K-23, taking on the responsibility with their family as humanity's final hope. Some big, some small. In her present life, she wonders what might have . Nora thinks about the things shed missed about Dan, but as she is reacquainted with him, shes reminded of the things she doesnt like as well his arrogance, his dislike of her music career. After she takes an overdose, Nora awakens to find herself facing a library surrounded by a heavy mist. What is the setting of "Games at Twilight" by Anita Desai? She goes looking for Voltaire, but she finds that he is under the bed, but dead. This was a helpful synopsis. Nora is now 35 and has been working at a local music store, String Theory, for nearly 13 years now. Do you think its understandable that she would have given these things up? And yes, it really is presented that plainly. 7. The messy life she had tried to exit now seems full of hope. Its a perfect ending: Nora didnt need a new life. The game is interrupted by a phone call with bad news for Nora. The synopsis 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. Mrs. Elm reminds Nora of a time when shed done a dangerous swim across a river to try to impress Joe and other people at a party. But on the brink of death she is transported to The Midnight Library, where every book acts as a gateway to the past. Its all lost to the ether. After a string of other unfortunate events -- fired as a music tutor, reminded of having grown apart from her former best friend Izzy, etc. The Midnight Club Ending Explained. The Midnight Library study guide contains a biography of Matt Haig, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. They have a young daughter named Molly, and Nora was a professor at Cambridge but shes currently on sabbatical writing a book. High quality The Midnight Library-inspired gifts and merchandise. The Midnight library is an easy read, the chapters are short, the margins wide and the story simple. Nora is transported into a life that seems perfect. When Doreen calls, Nora apologizes profusely about missing Leos lesson, but Doreen is just letting her know that Leo wants to continue his lessons. While shes in the Midnight Library, Mrs. Elm tells her, shes preserved from death; this is an opportunity to decide how and if she wants to live. Bestselling author Matt Haig's new book The Midnight Library explores themes of sadness and regret; Therapist Catherine Sweeney reviews; Perhaps it takes a clever author with their own mental health issues to write such a heartfelt yet entertaining novel about depression.In Matt Haig's wonderful new book The Midnight Library we follow the predicament of Nora Seed who, coming to the end of her . "In chess, as in life, possibility is the basis of everything.". At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like it, the first few chapters were quite triggering and after having a bad start to January I very nearly didn't prevail. The jokes I would have laughed at, or maybe even told. Different packaging; same us. He has no idea who Nora is and has never taken music lessons. Instead, Nora feels like a fraud because she hasnt earned this life. The Midnight Library Matt Haig 4.02 1,302,455 ratings141,780 reviews Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Fiction (2020) Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Eventually, Nora is heartbroken to appear in the Midnight Library yet again. Back at the Library, Nora wonders why she stayed in Australia after Izzys death, and Mrs. Elm says she was depressed and grieving and got stuck there. She finds herself in an upscale hotel room, feeling very healthy. It's about Nora, a young woman who decides she isn't cut out for life. Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Whole. Next, Nora goes by Mr. Banerjees house. Over the past year-and-a-half, as the coronavirus pandemic drop-kicked plans and routines somewhere far, far away, Ive had a recurring daydream about what would have been. What if she had married her fiance, Dan, instead of calling off the wedding two days beforehand? To see how things would be if you had made other choices . Just for joining youll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features only for members. His father died when he was young, he was bullied and played rugby until an injury derailed his sporting future. She was an aspiring glaciologist and a highly-rated competitive swimmer in her youth, as well as an accomplished musician in her twenties, but she allowed fear and anxiety to prevent any of these pursuits from coming to fruition. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. To be human was to continualy dumb down the world into an understandable story that keeps things simple. The grand clock on the librarys front reads 12:00 a.m. These books are portals to all the lives you could be living. The system has broken down entirely, Mrs. Elm reveals, which means that Nora must be dying in her root life. Nora realizes that her parents not loving her properly as a child likely had more to do with unhappiness in their own marriage. In this reality, she also has a cat named Voltaire, but it looks different. Nora is bright and talented, but she hasnt managed to turn her gifts into a fulfilling career. online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. Also, in the original life, she and Joe had been there for her mother before her death. She is playing chess with the school librarian, Mrs. Elm, when she gets the news about her father's death. Hed be dead of an overdose. After attempting to end her life, Nora wakes up in the Midnight Library: an immense space filled with shelves of books that stretch endlessly. The Quick Recap and Section-by-Section Summary for The Midnight Library by Matt Haig are below. Chapters 16 18 (The Chessboard, The Only Way to Learn Is to Live, Fire). Everyones life could have gone an infinite number of ways, and each book in the library contains the story of that life. As many of you know a book with a library speaks to me. Noras mother had passed away three months before their wedding. Nora tries a life where she stayed in her band and became a famous rock star, but she learns that becoming famous lead to Joe dying from substance abuse. To her surprise, she comes to understand and forgive herself better through this process, too. If she had become a glaciologist? Then, Marcello brings up that Joe overdosed two years ago. As she comes to understand her loved ones better, she comes to forgive them more easily for their transgressions and the complications of their relationships. what sucks a measure of the color and life from 'The Midnight Library' is that Nora, as a character, doesn't really want anything. Sometimes the elements of a really great book, but sometimes the elements of a non memorable one. Her brother arrives, and the two share a heartfelt reconciliation; Izzy texts to tell Nora how much she misses her; and Nora gets rehired at one of her jobs. 5. Banerjee!) Its here that the fundamental problem with her root life dawns on her: She had loved no one, and no one had loved her back., Yet and this is one of my favorite parts there are problems with this seemingly perfect existence. Joe is no longer in the band. Back at the Library, Mrs. Elm explains that basically even if Voltaire was an indoor cat, he wouldve died anyway from a heart condition. English novelist and author of "The . As she writes, I AM ALIVE, she awakes on her own mattress and vomits. Humans are fundamentally limited, generalizing creatures, living on auto-pilot, who straighten out curved streets in their minds, which explains why they get lost all the time. Immortality, Sadness And Drinking With Shakespeare In 'How To Stop Time'. While the outcome is predictable, the forays into philosophy are relatable and offer good jumping off points whether to general philosophical ideas or to personal introspection. . The trillion big and little things I would have stressed over or been excited about. The Midnight Library was my introduction to Matt Haig and I thoroughly enjoy his writing. Nora thinks about Dan, a man who worked in PR but had a dream of running a pub in the countryside. They're in the episode titles but you'll recognize hitchhikers Poppy Corn and Freedom Jack . The interviewer, Marcello, also mentions that the media seems to give her a hard time and talks about her tumultuous career. Suicide, she decides, is the only way to escape the misery of a life full of regrets. Full. All 120 characters in The Midnight Library are listed by chapter with character descriptions included. The books are portals to the different lives Nora could have lived if she had made different decisions. There is tragedy, but it feels muted by the existence of infinite chances. The Midnight Club will tug at your heartstrings and have you piecing together its mysteries all at the same time. He had an affair with Nadia and left Noras mother. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, When Nora next returns to the library, it is dark. Izzy has also responded back to her text and shes actually planning on moving back to the UK soon. Every night at midnight, the patients meet in the hospice library to. Noras mother, Donna, had at one point had some type of breakdown that resulted in her never returning to work. Available in . The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig. Directed by George Clooney and starring Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Tiffany Boone . As the night goes on, she notices how much Dan drinks and when they get into an argument, she learns that Dan has been unfaithful. Thats what Haig so beautifully demonstrates. As the Library continues to burn, Mrs. Elm tells Nora that theres a way that she can escape. The library is immense. Later, we learn that Hugo experienced it as a video store, with a cherished uncle instead of a librarian. I was so engrossed in The Midnight Library that I stopped worrying about deadlines and small annoyances and bigger fears.