the midnight library ending explained

Nora thinks about being 14 and a swimming star, winning two races at the National Junior Swimming Championships, until she gave it up. She now covers swimming for the BBC. Jason Sheehan knows stuff about food, video games, books and Starblazers. Nora can visit as many as she wants to find out what her life would have been like if she had made different decisions. Mrs. Elm tells Nora that she is in a unique space between life and deatha library with infinite books, each offering a glimpse into a life Nora would have led if she had . Between life and death there is a library. However, when she goes back to her hometown she sees that her absence has had am impact. Instead, Nora decides she wants to try a gentle life next, one about working with animals. As the library begins to disintegrate, signaling Noras waning existence, she must choose which life to commit to. While thematically tackling death and coming to terms with the inevitable, the. Out of it she sees a building, which is revealed to be filled with endless rows of unlabeled books, all with covers colored in shades of green. In that life, Nora has patched up her relationship with Joe, and he is happily married. Living has become nothing but a chore. It felt right. Its the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other peoples worst enemy.. certain categories of personal information, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information. eNotes.com Nora thinks about the many expensive instruments she did manage to sell in her original life. Death is ever-present at Brightcliffe Manor, and it is received as an enemy, a so-called "living shadow" that hunts its prey. She wonders if her actions could have impacted whether or not he ended up in a care facility. The Midnight Library. And then Nora wakes up. To her surprise, she comes to understand and forgive herself better through this process, too. Upon her arrival, the Midnight Library glitches slightly until Nora thinks about her desire to remain alive. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. I just needed a single book. She begs, pleads, shouts at the universe to keep her alive. She also tries a life where Volts was kept indoors to prevent it from being hit by a car, but learns the cat actually died of a health condition. This is a streamlined novel; no side plots, no broad cast of characters, no twists of fantasy for the sheer joy of it. Afterwards, Nora thinks about her parents, the disappointments and the crushed hopes in their lives. Meanwhile, they talk about Noras her future and career plans. Is Ravis experience After a suicide attempt, Nora Seed finds herself in a magical library at midnight. Online, Nora learns that Izzy died a month after they arrived in Australia. Each book represents a different version of Nora's life, a life of joys and sorrows, people and places, events and tragedies that spawned from a single choice, a decision, or in the case of this girl so full of regrets, something that didn't happen because she didn't make that choice. Haig's novel is divided into 68 chapters. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance Perhaps endless. ), Chapters 7 12 (00:00:00, The Librarian, The Midnight Library, The Moving Shelves, The Book of Regrets, Regret Overload). Advice for the relationships in your life and how to boost your own well-being. "The Midnight Library - Summary" eNotes Publishing Eventually, however, Nora starts feeling like shes losing track of who she really is and she wants a life that she can settle down in. Nora considers that her lives have largely been about other peoples dreams her brothers dream about The Labyrinths, her fathers dream about swimming, Izzys dream about Australia, Dans dream about the bar, and even Mrs. Elms suggestion about glaciology. . The book weaves elements of science fiction and fantasy with philosophical contemplations on human mortality, happiness, and personal choice.. Chapters 16 18 (The Chessboard, The Only Way to Learn Is to Live, Fire). Still, she wonders what would have happened if shed stuck with it. Nora lives a hundred lives. Contemplating her purposelessness in life, Nora texts her former best friend, Izzy (Isabel Hirsh), who lives in Australia now. When Doreen calls, Nora apologizes profusely about missing Leos lesson, but Doreen is just letting her know that Leo wants to continue his lessons. 5 Highlights from The Midnight Library - One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2020 | by T.J.Parker | Books Are Our Superpower Write Sign up Sign In 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. Chapters 60 63 (No Longer Here, An Incident With the Police, A New Way of Seeing, The Flowers Have Water). eNotes.com, Inc. Immortality, Sadness And Drinking With Shakespeare In 'How To Stop Time'. Mrs. Elm showed Nora the Book of Regrets when she first entered the library, and Nora was overwhelmed by it when she first looked in. Doreen now says Leos too busy for piano anyway, against Noras futile protests. They have to be intense, with complex story lines and big words to truly be a great book. . Overdose. Voltaire wasnt hit by a car. She just needed to realize that her own had potential, and that she could keep reinventing herself until she achieved happiness. And who would be there? That is a simplification. The library offers her the chance to reflect on her life and her regrets and to try different lives, lives where she'd made different choices. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Its about Nora, a young woman who decides she isnt cut out for life. It's the outlier of the " Flanagan-verse, " both youth-focused and semi-anthologized. 'The Midnight Library' is unusual in that it follows a plot with no twists, no turns that don't feel like a gentle glide. 8. It implies Augustine has died, at peace at last knowing an adult Iris is going to be safe. The Quick Recap and Section-by-Section Summary for The Midnight Library by Matt Haig are below. She finds herself in the cabin of a boat. He realizes that he was dismissive of her panic attacks and it wasnt until Ewan got them, too, that he realized they were serious. However, Mrs. Elm says thats not a possibility since in every life her mother would have been dead by now. Soon, Nora is jumping from possible life to possible life with ravenous abandon. Nora thinks about the things shed missed about Dan, but as she is reacquainted with him, shes reminded of the things she doesnt like as well his arrogance, his dislike of her music career. Tales From the Radiation Age is his latest book. She starts with one of her biggest regretsa life where she didnt call off her wedding with Danand soon finds herself in a country pub. date the date you are citing the material. Joe also doesnt drink and Nora doesnt consume caffeine. There is sadness and pointlessness, soft meditations on the cost of fame and the dignity of smaller lives, lots of quotes from philosophers (because that's what Nora studied in school), and quiet thoughts about the weight of meaning in a universe where everything that can happen, does. Nora realizes that her parents not loving her properly as a child likely had more to do with unhappiness in their own marriage. On Instagram, she has 11.3 million followers. All 120 characters in The Midnight Library are listed by chapter with character descriptions included. As Nora travels through different iterations of her life, she begins to see the motivations of those in her root life more clearly. 'Easy read' books often get a bad reputation. And indeed, in her visit to this lovely life, Nora is married to Ash, with whom she has a daughter, Molly. Nora also seeks out the real Mrs. Elm at the care facility to resume their games of chess. Noras manager appears to be a woman named Joanna. 1. Matt Haig is the number one bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive, Notes on a Nervous Planet and six highly acclaimed novels for adults, including How to Stop Time, The Humans and The Radleys. After meeting another "slider" (as those who can bounce around between multiverse possibilities are called), and discussing the pop-science implications of a multi-dimensional existence, Nora muses on her situation: [She] had read about multiverses and knew a bit about Gestalt psychology. They are here to study climate change. Humans are fundamentally limited, generalizing creatures, living on auto-pilot, who straighten out curved streets in their minds, which explains why they get lost all the time. As time passes, she finds herself feeling grateful for this life. The moment you decide you want that life, really want it, then everything that exists in your head now, including this Midnight Library, will eventually be a dream. The Real Meaning Of The Midnight Club's Ending & Story. While Nora is in the library, the librarian reveals that she has the freedom to explore these alternate options in search of a more favorable reality. On a few occasions, the library experiences system issues that complicate Noras transfers in and out of lives. The Midnight Library is a 2020 novel by Matt Haig. Nora thinks that this may be the best version of her life. GoodReads. With that, shes transported into the life of an Arctic Researcher. Angela Hauptis a freelance writer and editor. Hugo tells her that his version of her Midnight Library is a video store filled with VHS movies. Toward the end of the novel, Nora visits what is clearly the best alternative life: the one in which she says yes to the coffee date with Ash, the cute surgeon who pops up in her root life and then again in others. The Midnight Library is different for each person who enters it. Once thinks about how her family here (Molly, Ash, Plato, etc.) The only thing we truly need to change is the one thing we have complete control over: our outlook. Sometimes the elements of a really great book, but sometimes the elements of a non memorable one. After attempting to end her life, Nora wakes up in the Midnight Library: an immense space filled with shelves of books that stretch endlessly. It resembles one he used to go to. Nineteen years later, Nora is now a 35-year-old woman who is unhappy in her life. Everyones life could have gone an infinite number of ways, and each book in the library contains the story of that life. The Midnight Library: The No.1 Sunday Times bestseller and Web THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON READERS' MOST LOVED BOOK OF 2021 WINNER OF THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR FICTION 'BEAUTIFUL' Jodi Picoult, 'UPLIFTING' i, 'BRILLIANT' Daily Mail, 'AMAZING' Joanna Cannon, 'ABSORBING' New York Times, 'THOUGHT-PROVOKING' The Midnight Library by Matt Haig ended up being a preachy, fictionalized self-help book that I didn't ask for and that wouldn't have helped anyway. Shed ended up part-way through and not knowing which way to go in order to survive. Later, we learn that Huge experienced it as a video store, with a cherished uncle instead of a librarian. Again, yes. Over a game of chess, the two muse about what it means to live a good life. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. Back in her original life, Nora wakes up and throws up. Mrs. Elm: The librarian. She and Ash are happily married, they have a daughter named Molly and a dog named Plato, and Nora is a Cambridge professor writing on sabbatical. But in Mike Flanagan's adaptation, the tales they tell are actually from other Christopher Pike stories. When she is released from the hospital, Nora visits the real Mrs. Elm in a care facility. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. After all, she loves to read, speaks fluent English, and has memorized the Dewey Decimal system for cataloguing library books. Shes a cat-sitter; shes on her third husband and already bored. Over the past year-and-a-half, as the coronavirus pandemic drop-kicked plans and routines somewhere far, far away, Ive had a recurring daydream about what would have been. As Nora realizes, It is not the lives we regret not living that are the real problem. As Nora muses: It is quite a revelation to discover that the place you wanted to escape to is the exact same place you escaped from. After the talk, Nora is transported back to the Midnight Library, having realized that the successful life is not one she wants either. Nora thinks about the career in glaciology shed considered but didnt end up pursuing after Mrs. Elms (joking) suggestion so many years ago. I'm a voracious reader. The questions are that simple. Your email address will not be published. Sign up for news about books, authors, and more from Penguin Random House, Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network. Its a disappointment, and Nora soon finds herself back at the Midnight Library. Nora realizes that in her other lives there was an absence of love. Harper's Bazaar (UK) "British author Matt Haig is beloved in his home country, and he's a champion of mental health, which makes him a great person to follow on . Certain that she now wants to live, Nora begs Mrs. Elm to help her get out. Banerjee!) The librarian tells her to write her own story now, as quickly as she can, and maybe she can escape. Despite him being perfectly nice, Nora wasnt too enamoured with this life and she bids it farewell. 2. Shed be living with a mean alcoholic who couldnt stand that she knew more than him and who was cheating on her to boot. Follow along on Goodreads, or keep in touch via the newsletter. By Danni Turner. publication online or last modification online. Nora wonders if hell ask her out again, but instead Ash tells her that her cat, Voltaire (Volts), has been hit by a car. Infinite possibility, sure, but only one shot at each of them. The Book of Regrets represents all the things Nora wishes she could change from her root lifethat is, the life she has actually lived. I like how it works with the concept of alternatives lives. The second is the date of As she recovers in the hospital, Nora reflects on her ordeal and begins to feel grateful for the life she still has. Nora sees that her neighbor, whom she used to help out, ended up having to move to a care facility. Where, for an hour, a day or a month, she gets to dip into and sample lives where she made different choices, with the ultimate goal of erasing those regrets and finding a life she's comfortable in. Oct. 7, 2022 The Midnight Club is something completely new for Mike Flanagan. The Best Books to Get Your Finances in Order, Cook a Soul Food Holiday Meal With Rosie Mayes. Nora then tries becoming an Olympic swimming, only to find out she is depressed in that life, too. Noras mother, Donna, had at one point had some type of breakdown that resulted in her never returning to work. But as she experienced more and more lives, her list of regrets began to shrink. As they talk, Nora is disappointed to learn that shes still on antidepressants in this life. I think about the people I would have met at restaurants that instead shut down, the slices of cake I would have ordered for dessert and the contemplative walks home. Back at the Library, Nora wonders why she stayed in Australia after Izzys death, and Mrs. Elm says she was depressed and grieving and got stuck there. The audience looks uncomfortable, but she sees that Ravi is smiling at her. But every time one decision is taken over another, the outcomes differ. They have dinner together and watch a Ryan Bailey movie. Mrs. Elm talks about her own regrets in life, how shes let people down and she thinks theyve given up on her. With that, Nora finds herself in a life with Ash sleeping next to her. Required fields are marked *. 'The Midnight Club': The Full Ending Explained and Your When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Now that weve all read Where the Crawdads Sing, can we talk about the ending? The subsequent chapters tend to alternate between one of Nora's dream-lives and the library. 6. As in the book that inspired it the Midnight Club is a gathering of terminally ill teens telling each other scary stories in front of the fire. Overwhelmed by regret, Mrs. Elm instructs Nora to close the book. A blending of traditional reincarnation and the Many Worlds theory. Nora ends up trying out a multitude of lives and careers, ranging from becoming a single mom to running a winery or being an aid worker, but nothing sticks. Nora discovers that she is surprisingly content in this life, and she suspects this is the one shell want to stay in. date the date you are citing the material. 9. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. The dialogue flows naturally and the characters come to life. As the Library continues to burn, Mrs. Elm tells Nora that theres a way that she can escape. He had an affair with Nadia and left Noras mother. What if Nora had moved to Australia with her best friend instead of bailing to stay behind in England? 1. As she writes, I AM ALIVE, she awakes on her own mattress and vomits. Matt Haig's magical novel " The Midnight Library " is a tonic to anyone who tumbles down this rabbit hole of what-if thinking. Nora tells Mrs. Elm that she was there for her when she needed her, and Nora assures Mrs. Elm that she will make time to play chess for her. Word Count: 1083. Even days later, when my mind darted to the would-have, should-have, could-haves, I was able to redirect. There is one book that is different from the rest. Mrs. Elm reminds Nora of a time when shed done a dangerous swim across a river to try to impress Joe and other people at a party. After a string of other unfortunate events -- fired as a music tutor, reminded of having grown apart from her former best friend Izzy, etc. A human sees the world in three dimensions. Nora then gets a call from Doreen, who is irritated. Nora experienced it as a library because of the meaningful relationship she had with Mrs. Elm, her childhood school librarian. The last date is today's The system has broken down entirely, Mrs. Elm reveals, which means that Nora must be dying in her root life. Nora had offered inexpensive lessons and as Leos confidence in music grew, he improved in other areas as well and never get mixed up with worse stuff. Ravi blames Nora, but Nora says she was getting panic attacks that would have made it impossible. The call is amicable, and they agree to remain friends. The one that could be a messy struggle, but it was her messy struggle. Which path to commit to without regret.". This story is part of a series for people who have already read the book and want to think more deeply about the plot and ending. When Nora gives her talk, instead of speaking about the pursuit of success, she talks about what shes learned from the Midnight Library she says that success is a delusion, and she talks philosophically about the different paths life can take. Now that youve read The Midnight Library, lets talk about the ending, Carolyn Hax: She dreamed she was cheated on, but her anger is real. Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. When she finds herself excited again about living, things calm down. Some big, some small. Every move had been a mistake, every decision a disaster, every day a retreat from who she'd imagined she'd be. Remembering what Dylan had told her in another life, Nora goes to the Oak Leaf Residential Care Home to find Mrs. Elm, but instead she runs into Mr. Banerjee there. Shed still be there, but her friend would have died in a car accident. Haigs response: Of course we would. This moment occurs at the end of Nora's first adventure in a parallel life. The Midnight Library is a 2020 novel by Matt Haig. On her way home, she spots Leo the boy she gave piano lessons to in her root life, calming his penchant for trouble in police custody. And the magnitude of that is staggering, given that a life can be determined or redirected by a single event. Does it take a lifetime or a just few seconds? Nora sees scars on her arm that she realizes are self-inflicted. However, in the current reality, Doreen had never found affordable lessons, and Leo had taken a bad turn in life. These books are portals to all the lives you could be living. Every night at midnight, the patients meet in the hospice library to. In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, A woman named Nadia calls, and Nora is shocked to learn that her dad is alive. Hugo, she learns, sees a video store instead of a library and a beloved uncle instead of Mrs. Elm. Why a campaign to rename smear tests was rejected. The Midnight Club Ending Explained. Somewhere between life and death, Nora Seed finds herself wandering the marble hallways of a never-ending library; "The Midnight Library.". The reason Nora ended up back at the Midnight Library is because she wanted to live (in her original life). On one especially unfortunate day, Nora is fired from both her regular and her side jobs, and her cat is found dead in the road. We tend to romanticize other variations of our lives we would have no cares in the world, if only we had done this and that differently. REVIEWS: The Midnight Library. The story, then, forms solely around the lives she passes briefly through, the choices and their consequences. Nora wonders if shes just someone who will be depressed and stuck in any life, but Mrs. Elm disagrees. The author of the bestselling books Reasons to Stay Alive and Notes on a Nervous Planet has once again blessed us with an empowering novel. Nora is sad and confused. In others, shes a travel vlogger, a chess champion, a vegan powerlifter. And again, yes, they're presented that plainly. Her relationships are in shambles and her cat is dead. Haig presents all of this as a straight line. English novelist and author of "The . "She didn't want to die. T.J.Parker 212 Followers My not so random reviews and thoughts Dehydrated, delirious, trembling and in pain, she stumbles outside and asks Mr. Banerjee to call an ambulance before collapsing. They have a young daughter named Molly, and Nora was a professor at Cambridge but shes currently on sabbatical writing a book. (She overdoses. 3. The Midnight Library was my introduction to Matt Haig and I thoroughly enjoy his writing. Afterwards, Nora is brought to a lavish suite to do an interview with two podcasters from O Som, the most popular music podcast in Brazil. He had been staunchly against her staying in the band. When she inquires about Mrs. Elm, they inform her that Louise Elm died peacefully about three weeks ago. Not in heaven (dull) or hell (overdone) or purgatory (insert Lost joke), but in a library. The writer/director gave . The one-paragraph version of this is: Nora Seed is unhappy in her life, tries to kill herself and finds herself at The Midnight Library, where she is able to try out different versions of her life. Nora immediately gets up out of the interview and heads downstairs, in shock and sadness, and soon she finds herself back at the Midnight Library. Afterwards, feeling impulsive knowing that any decision is just one iteration of her life, she kisses Hugo and they sleep together. Ultimately, it became a saga about how Kevin feels like he's let down everyone he loves. 2. The messy life she had tried to exit now seems full of hope. Its a perfect ending: Nora didnt need a new life. His father died when he was young, he was bullied and played rugby until an injury derailed his sporting future. A woman is there, and she either is or resembles Mrs. Elm. More importantly, she is just deeply, seemingly irretrievably, sad. It occurs to her to try a life where shed accepted Ashs coffee date once upon a time, instead of rejecting it because shed been with Dan at the time. Shes greeted by her school librarian, Mrs. Elm, who was always kind to her. She has spent over a decade unhappily working in a music store and finds herself struggling with her mental health. Are there any parts of your life that you feel could not be improved by living it differently. As in the book that inspired it the Midnight Club is a gathering of terminally ill teens telling each other scary stories in front of the fire. Neil also allows Nora to put up some flyers at String Theory offering more piano lessons to others, and the ads have already gotten a large response. The grand clock on the librarys front reads 12:00 a.m. Chapters 51 59 (Buena Vista Vineyard, The Many Lives of Nora Seed, Lost in the Library, A Pearl in the Shell, The Game, The Perfect Life, A Spiritual Quest for a Deeper Connection with the Universe, Hammersmith, Tricycle). I read the whole thing in about 3 days. She drags herself to her neighbors door, and he calls an ambulance as she collapses before him. Nora was once the songwriter in a band called Labyrinth with Ravi, Ella (Ravis girlfriend, now wife) and Joe that was on the verge of a deal with Universal, but Nora nixed her involvement in it. As she gets to one part, many of the regrets are related to Dan. Eventually, Nora is heartbroken to appear in the Midnight Library yet again. Nora scares it off with noise, as instructed. The Library dissolves as Nora decides to live. What do you think your Midnight Library would be? In her e-mails, she finds an address for herself. Joe is working as a sound engineer now. What is the setting of "Games at Twilight"? The Midnight Library is about Nora, a thirty-something woman who is regretful about her life and feels alienated and unneeded in this world. Nora sees the cat and feels sadness, but also a bit of envy at seeing him lying there peacefully. Start earning points for buying books! What had she done? As Mrs. Elm reminds her: Never underestimate the big importance of small things., Now that youve read The Last Thing He Told Me, lets talk about the ending. Meanwhile, Nora worries that shell die for real if she doesnt find a life she has the will to live. A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Piloting Your Life is Terri's debut book, ' an inspiring, well-researched beach read' written as a love letter to GenX women to design and live a life of their own creation'. Theres nothing wrong with the life, but theres a fakeness to it, and Nora lets that life go as well. She drops into new lives, again and again, awaiting the one that makes her want to stay. Neil, her boss, is nice about it, but questions why shes still even working there since he thinks shes meant for bigger things.