There is a part of me that can be contrary when it comes to bestsellers. Sometimes those gold circles or stars on the front of fiction which say “#1 Bestseller – millions of copies sold!” turn me off, bidding you as they do to believe the accolades.
As a result, I don’t rush to read them. However, a friend at work had advised that she wasn’t sure about the ending of this one, the comment immediately piquing my interest and so, I decided to give it a go. My eldest son had already read it and hadn’t slated it so I knew it would probably be good.
The story is about Nora Seed, a young woman, who is living, quite frankly, a disappointing life, full of pain and a lack of hope. When a series of events landslide to create a darker existence, she decides to end it all.
In the period between life and death, she enters the Midnight Library, the custodian of which is her old school librarian, Mrs Elm and is given chances, through the “Book of Regrets” to live other lives to see if the outcome would be any different.
The premise of the book is imaginative, philosophical and life-affirming. Haig’s prose flows beautifully and as Nora was a philosophy student who worked at a music shop called “String Theory”, the placement of these in the novel leaves Haig open to discussion of the meaning of life and quantum physics, dropping in quote and references easily into the text. Thoughtful and deep then, despite the easiness of the prose.
The book leads you to think about the way that you live your own life. And that ending? I can see why my friend was dissatisfied with it. Nora’s life switching takes her to many alternative existences and there is one in particular that seems a great fit, one into which Nora can easily assimilate…
However, I think that Haig’s ending is perfect for what his message is in the book and that any other ending, whilst perhaps seeing Nora settled, would have undermined this, it being this: that life is to be lived with its pain and regret, and that it must be grasped, not shied away from, gripped and tackled, like the bars on a rollercoaster whilst you experience its frenetic, maybe sometimes rickety, mostly exciting ride to the fullest.
A great read, thoroughly enjoyed.
Scuffed Granny 