<The Midnight Library> by Matt Haig

I count myself lucky to have read Matt Haig’s “Reasons to Stay Alive” previously. Knowing how he suffered from depression and eventually prevailed through it made “The Midnight Library” a more powerful read. There were some insightful introspective thoughts on the human condition. About how one might not feel lonely if he is alone in the wilderness because he feels an acute sense of connection with the world. Whereas urban dwellers feel lonely in a busy city because they will then crave for connection with others.

I also marveled at the way he explained the difference between fear and despair by using an everyday, yet powerful analogy. I feel that only someone who has hit rock bottom emotionally before can pen such empathetic descriptions of the depressed mind.

Matt Haig doesn’t shun away from introducing complex material. I felt that my threshold as a reader was being tested. Not only did he include quotes from philosophers like David Thoreau, but he also wrote about the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics, thus bringing to mind movies like “Sliding Doors”.

So I followed Nora’s journey as she ‘slided’ from one alternative life to another. She soon discovered that the lives she had always regretted not living might not be all that glamorous or blissful after all. That, upon reflection, those lives she had desperately yearned for were a result of not wanting to disappoint her family members. I thought it was satisfying to uncover how she discovered the role of agency in her life. No points for guessing that she eventually chose her original life - the one that drove her to commit suicide.

Here, Matt Haig glosses over the triggers, making things fall into place in Nora’s life so as to give us a saccharine sweet ending. But since I’m not a cynic, I don’t mind an ending brimming with possibilities rather than one stunted by the harsh realities of life.

Lastly, these two lines might have changed my outlook on parenting: “it added a bit of challenge to what was otherwise a rather frictionless existence. No relationship stress, no work stress, no money stress.” The mere idea of accepting the pain points that parenting brings made me raise my eyebrows!