SEPTEMBER 2026 READING

The Midnight Library: A Novel

by Matt Haig

Published by Viking, 2020

299 pp,

ISBN 978-0525559474

Book Club Meeting:

September 29 25, 2026, 7:00 pm

Hosted by: Janet Redfield

Snack provided by: Deb Fisher

Wine provided by: Linda LeVan/Janet Redfield

Book selected by: Brenda Werner

Accessibility

Finger Lakes Library System

Large Print

Finger Lakes Library System

E-book

Finger Lakes Library System
NY Public Library
Amazon (Kindle)

E-audio book

Finger Lakes Library System
Amazon (Audible)
NY Public Library

About the Author: George Orwell

"Matt Haig (born 3 July 1975) is an English author and journalist. He has written both fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults, often in the speculative fiction genre.

Haig was born on 3 July 1975 in Sheffield. His mother, Mary worked as a primary school headteacher and his father Richard as an architect, who commuted to London for work. He grew up with his younger (by 3 years) sister, Phoebe Rose, in the Nottinghamshire town of Newark.

He has admitted to minor shoplifting during his teenage years and has suffered subsequent guilt from the petty crime, which included the theft of a tennis ball. He went on to study English and History at the University of Hull.

Haig married Andrea Semple whom he knew since they were teenagers, and they live in Brighton, Sussex, with their two children and a dog.

Haig is an atheist. He has said that books are his faith, and the library is his church.

Some of Haig's work — especially part of the non-fiction books — is inspired by the mental breakdown he had when he was 24 years old. He still occasionally has anxiety. He has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism.

His novels include 'The Humans', 'How to Stop Time', and T'he Midnight Library', which has been a number one New York Times bestseller and sold more than fourteen million copies world-wide.

His non-fiction works include his award-winning mental illness memoir 'Reasons to Stay Alive' and 'The Comfort Book.' His most recent fiction, 'The Life Impossible', was a New York Times bestseller.

He has also written several children’s books, including 'A Boy Called Christmas', which became a major feature film.

His work has been published in fifty-six languages and he is an advocate for literacy, libraries, and better mental health provision for everyone."

SOURCE

The Midnight Library

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Kirkus Reviews
"A whimsical fantasy about learning what's important in life."

"An unhappy woman who tries to commit suicide finds herself in a mysterious library that allows her to explore new lives.

How far would you go to address every regret you ever had? That’s the question at the heart of Haig’s latest novel, which imagines the plane between life and death as a vast library filled with books detailing every existence a person could have.

Thrust into this mysterious way station is Nora Seed, a depressed and desperate woman estranged from her family and friends. Nora has just lost her job, and her cat is dead. Believing she has no reason to go on, she writes a farewell note and takes an overdose of antidepressants.

But instead of waking up in heaven, hell, or eternal nothingness, she finds herself in a library filled with books that offer her a chance to experience an infinite number of new lives. Guided by Mrs. Elm, her former school librarian, she can pull a book from the shelf and enter a new existence—as a country pub owner with her ex-boyfriend, as a researcher on an Arctic island, as a rock star singing in stadiums full of screaming fans. But how will she know which life will make her happy?

This book isn't heavy on hows; you won’t need an advanced degree in quantum physics or string theory to follow its simple yet fantastical logic. Predicting the path Nora will ultimately choose isn’t difficult, either. Haig treats the subject of suicide with a light touch, and the book’s playful tone will be welcome to readers who like their fantasies sweet if a little too forgettable.

A whimsical fantasy about learning what’s important in life."