After a life full of regrets and missed opportunities, Nora Seed, the protagonist of The Midnight Library, decides to end her life. With this act, she is transported to an afterlife unlike any other: a library. This otherworldly library acts as a state of limbo, representing Nora’s precarious position between life and death. Along the shelves of the library, there are books representative of Nora’s parallel universes—lives in which a slight deviation in her choices created a completely different reality. Through the guidance of an enigmatic bookkeeper who assumes the form of Mrs. Elm, the maternal librarian at Nora’s secondary school, Nora is transported into these lives. However, she needs to find a life that she truly wants to live in and “jump” into before her body in her original reality dies.
Nora explores universes in which she went through with a marriage, pushed herself to become an Olympic swimmer, and became a glaciologist. Through these journeys, Nora comes to realize that no existence is without its disappointments, even when you are living the life you have always dreamed of. Not finding the life she belongs in, Nora is faced with the reality that the life she truly wants is the one she came from.
Throughout The Midnight Library, it becomes evident that no “perfect” life really exists. All the comparisons we make between our own experiences and others’ do not mean anything because ultimately every life has its own struggles.
Even when Nora lands in what she believes is her best reality, she still feels a sense of emptiness. Where in her original life, Nora helped a troublemaker boy discover his love of music, she discovers that in this life he has turned to petty crime. Additionally, String Theory, the music shop Nora worked at, went bankrupt without her working there.
All around us, especially through social media platforms, we are surrounded by the illusion of the “perfect” life. Whether it is idealistic 5 A.M. morning routines, skincare regimens using hundreds of dollars worth of products, or vlogs detailing intense study schedules, the pressure to be successful and put together has never been so extreme. Seeing success all around us, it can be easy to fall into spirals of self doubt and never be satisfied with our present circumstances, giving up on ourselves. However, it is important to remember that no matter who you are, there will always be a challenge you must overcome.
Furthermore, Nora’s character arc demonstrates the need to acknowledge that there will always be regrets in our lives and mistakes that weigh us down. Our decisions cannot protect us from disappointment, even if we make all the “right” choices. Wallowing in the “what-if’s” of our past does not do anything but waste the time that we have to live the life we have been given.
In the end, The Midnight Library leaves its reader with a sense of hope that no matter how many mistakes you make, or how off track your life seems, this reality is your home for a reason and this story can be your happily ever after as long as you do not give up.
