The Midnight Library

There are two parts to this book - the specific journey the main character, Nora, goes on, in order to learn more about herself and her life, and the more general themes that we can all take away. This is the reason, I think, why I found it harder to develop an emotional connection to this book than I had initially imagined I would, given its subject. As someone who's always wished to live a thousand different lives, to have all those different experiences, I was very interested in reading this book.

I didn't at all relate to Nora and her story - I think because she approaches her life so helplessly, without agency. She feels like a victim, rather than someone who is taking charge of her life. And so the parts about Nora's exploring different possible lives, while interesting to read, didn't really strike a deeper chord within me. And without that, the overall lessons kind of fell flat as well.

The prose was no help here, hardly ever transcending pedestrian, everyday speech. No thought-provoking quips or beautiful meditations here.

The one idea I did find interesting, is that - you don't need to read every book, or watch every movie, or live every life, to access the full range of human emotions, in short, to live. This is a comforting thought, a new thought for me, but one that rings true.