A couple of years ago, I wrote a short story that attempted, in as few words as possible, to convey nothing less than The Meaning of Life. Whether or not my endeavor was successful I suppose depends on the reader, but at the very least, I knew what I was trying to say.
Fortunately, what I was trying to say is said most successfully (and with many more beautiful words) in Matt Haig’s book, The Midnight Library. It currently sits on a New York Times bestseller list, and for good reason.
Here’s the premise: in the transitional space between life and death is a library. The shelves are filled with infinite books; each one containing a different variation of your life. By flipping through the pages, you can jump in and out of endless possibilities of yourself, exploring different quantum universes. In one life, you might be a rockstar; in another, happily married with kids.
Of course, there are bad lives, too, and all variations in between. Infinite possibilities, all spread throughout the multiverse's largest library.
Nora Seed, our protagonist, is in a bad place at the start of the story. It is here I have to caution the reader with a trigger warning regarding depression and suicide: Nora initially discovers the library after determining her life is nothing but endless mistakes and not worth living. (Small spoiler: things get better, provided both she and the reader decide to hang in there.)
Think of it as It's a Wonderful Life marries Quantum Leap, then gives birth to a bouncing baby Sliders, and you’ll start to get the idea.
I’ll admit I shed actual tears towards the end because this book hit me on many different personal levels. There were times when I felt it was written specifically for me.
Maybe it was written for you, too.
Five out of five of the shiniest golden stars.
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