by Matt Haig
First published 2020
Nora Seed stands at the threshold between life and death when she finds herself in the Midnight Library. This impossible place exists beyond the universe's edge, housing infinite books that each contain a different version of her life. One book shows her current reality. The others reveal alternate paths she might have taken with different choices. The librarian offers Nora the chance to experience these other lives directly. She can explore becoming a glaciologist, pursue different careers, or undo past breakups that shaped her current unhappiness. Each book represents a door into another existence where she made different decisions at crucial moments. As Nora moves between these parallel lives, she searches for one that feels truly fulfilling. She must decide whether any of these alternatives actually improve upon her original life or if something valuable already exists in the reality she left behind.
Genres: literary-fiction, fantasy, speculative-fiction, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: contemplative, hopeful, introspective, melancholic, thought-provoking
Tropes: alternate-reality, magical-library, second-chance, self-reflection
Setting: Midnight Library
288 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: depression, suicidal-ideation