Fantasy Book Annotation

 

The Midnight Library

By: Matt Haig

Author: Matt Haig

Title: The Midnight Library

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: August 13, 2020

Number of Pages: 288

Geographical Setting: Bedford, England

Time Period: Present Day (sort of)

Series: No

Plot Summary: 

Nora Seed is struggling with her mental health. She feels like her world is crumbling and that she has failed entirely. One thing on top of another is making her life difficult to continue on. 

She finds herself stuck in between life and death, located in the Midnight Library. She has an opportunity to visit other versions of her life. There are millions upon millions of other versions of her life, and she gets the chance to see if she wants to live in any of these lives. 

Nora feels strongly that there is a better version of her life than the one she was just living. She goes on this adventure to find where she belongs. In this book, Nora Seed gets parts of herself back. She becomes hopeful and confident that she may have a place in this world after all. 

Subject Headings:

• Contemporary Fantasy

• Magical Realism

• Mental Health

• Science Fiction

Appeal: 

• Setting:

• The setting being a library is quite intriguing. The setting in this book is like something I haven’t read before. It creates this mystical feeling that I, as a reader, really enjoyed. 

• Characters:

• I feel that everyone can relate to Nora Seed in one way or another. She is just an adult who is having a rough time, one who can’t seem to find her way in this world. I feel that that is a very common emotion that young adults can feel at times. 

• Writing-Style:

• I feel that the writing-style in this book is easy to follow along with. Some books, it takes a while to understand the world and the characters, but I understood this book right off the bat. 

3 terms that best describe this book:

• Fantasy

• Mental Health

• Time travel

Similar Authors & Works: 

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works & Authors:

The Power of Moments by Dan and Chip Heath

• Similar to The Midnight Library, this book is all about moments in time and how those moments alter your life. 

Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down : How to Be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

• I feel that this book could be helpful to those feeling the emotions that Nora Seed feels in The Midnight Library. This book is about how to be kinder to yourself and slow things down when life gets overwhelming. 

The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest

• This book is about finding the courage to change your life. Nora Seed experiences these sort of feelings of gaining her confidence back as she spends more time in the Midnight Library. 

3 Relevant Fiction Works & Authors:

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

• Similar to The Midnight Library, this book is also about finding yourself and finding happiness within yourself. 

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

• This book is all about wishes and mystical fantasy, just as The Midnight Library is. Lucy Hart, like Nora Seed, wants a life she doesn’t have. 

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

• This book has very similar aspects to The Midnight Library. Just like the library in that novel, there is a mystical bookshop in this one.