Almost every culture talks of where we go after death: hell, heaven or even purgatory in the meantime. Here Matt Haig imagines a library between life and death. As long as you have even a little bit of desire for living you remain in the library. In the library is an infinite number of books, each of which tells the story of variations of your life had you taken even one slightly different decision.
The central theme of the novel is the regrets that come about from the choices we make in life. We find the protagonist Nora lonely and depressed in the beginning, deciding to end her life. After her attempt to take her own life she wakes up in the midnight library with a librarian who resembles a familiar figure from her past life. The librarian explains how the library works and how Nora can sample her different possible lives using the books.
The rest of the book is kind of an adventure as Nora samples her various lives and learns some important lessons.
It’s a feel-good book with philosophy quotes and short chapters that keeps one asking for more. It can be read to get out of a reading slump.
I’ll give it 3.5 stars as I went in with more expectations and it had a predictable ending.
Under Transformation 