The Midnight Library

Deepali Sunil Patil, S.Y. AIDS, K. K. Wagh Institute of Engineering Education and Research, Nashik.

I will do my best to make you feel like reading the book I am going to write about.
Recently, I watched a podcast—Joe Rogan interviewing Naval Ravikant. It was the most insightful, inspiring conversation I’ve ever heard. Well, it’s Naval Ravikant, right? He’s a highly successful investor, but on the other side, he is one of the smartest and deepest souls I’ve come across on the internet.

During this intense three-hour conversation, Naval mentioned a quote on life by the Chinese philosopher Confucius, which has stayed with me ever since. It goes:

“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we have only one.”

I’ve noticed a bit of change in myself since then—I’m much more present, much less judgmental, and less scared of others’ opinions.

Then, I read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. After a long time as an avid reader, a fiction book has left a strong impact on me. Even though I try to balance fiction and non-fiction reads, this book feels like it’s calling to me, speaking directly to my soul.

Non-fiction books always make me think and change my habits, but they don’t have the power that a fiction book has. With good storytelling, a fiction book can make you laugh, cry, give you hope, cheer you up, and transport you to another world—and this book does all of that.

It comes with a trigger warning but also a positive assurance. The story begins with suicidal thoughts, starting with: “Nineteen years before she decided to die…” But trust me, by the end of the book, you’ll feel so much better about your life.

The protagonist of the story is Nora, a woman in her mid-30s going through a really bad phase in her life. She’s depressed and feels unneeded by the people around her. Because of all this, she decides to end her life. But when she attempts to do so, she finds herself in a mysterious library—a place between life and death.

This library is full of books, and each book opens up a different version of her life. Imagine if you’d made slightly different choices; it could completely change the course of your life.

Here’s my personal story: I scored a good percentile in CET, so I would have gotten admission in the first CAP round. My father wanted me to fill out RC Patel of Shirpur, but I convinced him to put a different college as my first choice. If I’d chosen that other college instead of KKWIEER, my life’s path would have been completely different—different people, places, opportunities, etc.

That’s what the soul of this book is about: the different choices we make in life that shape different versions of our lives. But in the end, what matters is not worrying about the choices you didn’t make or the “what if” scenarios. What truly matters is realizing the value of the choices you did make and living the best version of the life you have.

I adore how visual this book is. While reading it, you’ll actually feel like you’re standing in the library, surrounded by the smell of books. This is what makes reading different from watching movies. When you watch a movie, you enter the world the filmmaker has created for you. But with reading, everyone’s imagination is different based on their experiences. Everyone has a unique story to feel and live.

As one saying goes: “That’s the thing about books. They make you travel without moving your feet.”

If you’re new to reading, this book is very easy to read. Even its tone is light, despite discussing topics like mental health and suicide.

If I had to mention a downside, it would be that the story is a little predictable. You know where it’s heading. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, right? Even in our favorite feel-good or rom-com movies, we know they’ll have a happy ending, yet we enjoy them to the very end. This book is like that.

There are no other living beings who can live a life like humans. And yet, we spend our lives in hatred, sadness, and envy instead of trying to make them better every day. Life is uncertain, and no matter what phase of life you’re in, I think this book is perfect.

Happy reading!