The Midnight Library

Everyone (two people actually but who is counting, right?) kept asking if I wasn’t getting tired of reading series books, so to surprise both them and myself, I decided not to get a series book this time and picked up a standalone novel instead. You might have heard of this book, as it’s been on the bestsellers list for a while and is still displayed in the entrance of every bookstore. I looked at the back cover, thought it seemed like a cute book, and there’s a library involved too. Maybe it’s going to turn into a Breakfast Club kind of story, I thought, so I decided to give it a go. While one of my guesses was right, I was wrong about the second one.

The book's main character is Nora Seed. She’s an incredibly intelligent woman who succeeds at everything she starts, but she always hesitates to push herself further and instead keeps jumping to other areas, just getting by in life—at least until she decides she wants to die. It all happens in a chain reaction; Nora, who’s already unhappy with her life, can’t meet her best friend because she’s in Australia, her cat dies, her relationship with her brother is strained, and to top it all off, she loses her job. This is when she feels that her life is worthless, that no one loves her, and that she’s not needed by anyone. She sees death as her only escape. She writes a letter, leaves a voicemail for her brother, and takes her pills.

After taking the pills, Nora finds herself first in a white space and then in a library. As she tries to understand how she got there and what’s happening, she sees a familiar face: Mrs. Pym, who had once touched her life when she was young, occasionally played chess with her, and was the one to break the news of her father’s death in the most understanding way possible. Nora is of course surprised to see her old teacher, still the same age, in a place like this. Mrs. Pym, with her classic line that will set our story in motion, says, "To learn is to live," and tells Nora that she’s standing between living and dying right now. She explains that every book in this library represents a version of Nora’s future where she made different choices, and she can find every future where she wondered, “What if I had chosen this?” At first, Nora, who only wants to die, refuses to look at these foolish options and insists she just wants to die, but the books start opening, one by one, starting with The Book of Regrets...

It’s a simple, yet deeply meaningful and truly charming book that can be finished in one day. Its recognition with a Goodreads Award and translation into over 40 languages speaks volumes about its impact. It’s a book anyone with a day to spare can read, and it could even change your life. It teaches us to recognize the value of our own lives, the consequences of realizing the value of our loved ones too late, and that our regrets won’t change the future. I should also add that I got emotional and cried towards the end. The only issue with the book might be that the dialogue is at an A1 Turkish level, but this might not even be a problem, as it helps maintain the book’s smooth flow. In conclusion, I highly recommend this book for all ages. It’s perfect as a sweet gift, and I believe it falls into that category. After reading Nora’s regrets, let’s move forward towards a future where we know our value, respect our choices, and embrace the consequences...

You don’t have to understand life. You just have to live it.

Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices… Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?