“Between life and death there is a library,” she said. “And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived.”
This is the idea behind The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I debated how to write this review without giving too much of the story away and a pro/con list seemed the best way to do that.
Pros:
-An easy read. I had it finished in just a few sittings.
-There are some beautifully written passages that just envelop you.
-The characters are very relatable.
Cons:
-Those beautifully written passages? For me they sometimes felt misplaced and would totally take me out of the story.
-The plot leads you in such a way that you don’t necessarily want to take the time to read everything fully, you just want to get to the next plot point.
-Everything about the book feels very unoriginal and overdone. It seems more like something you’d see someone write for a short story class in college, not from a well-known author.
During the pandemic reading, for me, has become more of a chore than being enjoyable. For every book I do manage to finish there are ten that I don’t, or don’t even really start. It was nice to find a book that caught my attention enough to stick with it and even with all its faults it wasn’t a burden to read.
Would I suggest rushing out and buying it? No, but if you happen across it in the library someday maybe check it out.
