Why ‘The Midnight Library’ Made Me Rethink My Life Choices

Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library is a novel that quietly shook me to the core. I expected a simple story about parallel lives and regrets, but what I found instead was a deeply emotional, thought-provoking journey that made me reflect on my own decisions, past failures, and the way I see possibility itself.

The story centers around Nora Seed, a woman who feels like life has passed her by. She struggles with regret, depression, and a sense of meaninglessness. At her lowest point, she finds herself in the mysterious “Midnight Library,” a space between life and death, filled with countless books. Each one contains a different version of her life—what could have happened if she had made different choices.

That concept hit me hard. Like many people, I’ve asked myself countless times, What if I had chosen a different path? What if I had taken that job, stayed in that relationship, moved to that city? Reading Nora’s journey through alternate lives made me realize how exhausting it is to live with regret—especially when we romanticize the roads not taken.

What’s brilliant about The Midnight Library is that it shows how even the “perfect” lives we imagine come with their own set of problems. In one life, Nora is a rock star, but she feels empty. In another, she’s a glaciologist exploring the Arctic, but she's isolated. Each life brings its own joys and sorrows—none of them are flawless. This shattered the illusion I often have that happiness lies in a different version of myself.

More than anything, the novel reminded me that regret is often based on an incomplete story. We tend to idealize what could have been without considering the full picture. Nora’s experiences taught me that no path guarantees fulfillment—and no past mistake permanently defines us.

Another message that stayed with me was the importance of choosing life, even when it feels heavy. The book doesn't offer shallow positivity; it acknowledges how hard things can be. But it also gently insists that possibilities still exist, even in our darkest moments. That hope—however fragile—matters.

After finishing the book, I started looking at my own life differently. I stopped thinking in terms of “success” or “failure,” and began focusing more on the present moment. I realized that meaning isn’t something we find in some ideal future—it’s something we can create here and now, with what we already have.

Conclusion

The Midnight Library isn’t just fiction—it’s a mirror. It holds up the “what ifs” we carry and helps us let them go. It reminded me that every life has its struggles, and that the power to find meaning lies not in erasing regret, but in accepting our past and choosing to move forward.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, weighed down by the past, or overwhelmed by life’s possibilities, this book might be exactly what you need. Just like it did for me, it may make you rethink your life—not with guilt, but with grace.