The Best Books Club Column: "The Midnight Library," by Matt Haig

I knew when I chose “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig that it would be a challenge for me, as I don’t enjoy science fiction and read very little fantasy. But the enthusiastic recommendations from two former students caused me to ignore my misgivings.

I’m glad I did, because there is much to like in this novel, particularly the character of Miss Elm, the quirky, enigmatic librarian. Through a delicate balance of dry humor and pathos, she is the source of the many impactful nuggets of wisdom found in the novel.

It is Miss Elm who, using her beloved game of chess as a metaphor, says, “A pawn is never just a pawn. A pawn is just a queen in waiting ... you only need to keep moving, one square at a time.” It is Miss Elm who offers Nora — and the reader — this wise reminder: “If you aim to be something you are not, you will always fail. ... Aim to be the truest version of you. Embrace that you- ness ... and don’t give a second thought when people mock it or ridicule it. Most gossip is envy in disguise.”

In fact, the somewhat minor character Miss Elm may well be one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.

On the other hand, I didn’t care for the protagonist, Nora Seed. Not even a tiny bit. I found her, for example, to be extremely self-absorbed; she saw and experienced everything — the needs of her 4-year-old daughter, tragedies that made up loved ones’ lives and even the heartbreaking deaths of loved ones — through the lens of how she was affected. She was, in short, egocentric and obsessed with attaining personal happiness.

Also, for the vast majority of the novel, she blamed her unhappiness and depression on the people and events outside of herself rather than facing the fact that her own choices and actions had led her to The Midnight Library.

Nora expected — demanded, actually — that everything outside of her be perfect. The people around her had to be living and behaving exactly as she wanted. Every detail of her existence had to be perfect; even tiny irritations were intolerable and were cause enough for her to leave a parallel universe and return to The Mid- night Library. And upon her return, despite the many positives in each universe, her accounts to Miss Elm were little more than whiny gripe sessions. She struggled with the idea that, as Miss Elm gently chided her, “There is no life where you can be in a state of sheer happiness forever. And imagining there is just breeds more unhappiness in the life you’re in.”

Interestingly, though, it was in the moments that Nora most irritated me, when I ached to grab her shoulders and shake her silly, that I came to some very import- ant realizations about myself and about life in general.

I — all of us, I believe — have more of Nora’s characteristics inside of us than we care to admit. We are all at least a bit self-absorbed, we all focus far too often on personal happiness as opposed to joy based on something outside of ourselves, and we all want lives that fit our image of our ideal and that we can understand.

But as a very wise individual — Miss Elm, of course — said, “You don’t have to understand life. You just have to live it.”

I’ve come to realize in the past 14 years, and the past 18 months even more so, that Miss Elm is right. And so, dear friends, I urge you to get out there and live your life.

Don’t forget to join me at the November Facebook Live discussion Nov. 14 at 4:30 p.m., when we discuss these and other questions:

1. Nora goes to many different realities. Which alternative did you find the most interesting?

2. Why is Nora’s relationship with the real-life Mrs. Elm so significant to Nora?

3. How will things be different

for Nora moving forward from her experience at The Midnight Library?

4. What, for you, are the takeaways from Nora’s journey?

5. In your opinion, what makes up a truly fulfilling life?

__Coming Up Next__

Our selection for December is centered around Christmas. I first read “A Redbird Christmas” by Fannie Flagg when it was first published in 2004; while I can’t remember all of the details, I remember I enjoyed it. I hope you will, as well.

It is available at The Cape Girardeau Public Library and as an electronic book via Libby. Libby is a wonderful app that is free to members of the library, and our wonderful librarians are always more than happy to help anyone who is interested in learning how to access, download and use it!

Patti Miinch, a resident of Cape Girardeau, is an author, mother and mother-in-law of two, grandmother of five and retired educator; while she has many loves, spending time with her family, sports, travel and reading top the list.