The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Haig, Matt. The Midnight Library. Harper Avenue, 2020.

Haig’s novel is divided into 68 chapters. The chapters leading up to Nora’s discovery of the midnight library each describe an hour preceding her decision to kill herself. The subsequent chapters tend to alternate between one of Nora’s dream-lives and the library. The narrator is third person limited, and describes the thoughts and feelings of Nora, the protagonist.

Haig begins the novel with a flashback set in Nora’s elementary school in Bedford, England. Nora chess with the school’s librarian, Mrs Elm, when Mrs Elm receives a phone call telling her of the sudden death of Nora’s father.

In the present moment, still lives in Bedford. She is deeply lonely and depressed. She receives a multitude of bad news in the span of a day. First, her neighbor Ash comes by to tell her that her cat, Voltaire, is dead. The next morning, Nora gets fired from her job at the local musical equipment store. On her walk home, she runs into her old bandmate, Ravi. Ravi tells her he thinks Nora’s brother Joe is depressed. Desperate for comfort, Nora reaches out to her old friend, Izzy, but receives no response to her text. Nora nearly gets fired by her only piano student and is told by her elderly neighbor, Mr Banjeree, that he has found someone else to bring him his pills.

Driven to despair, Nora overdoses on her depression medication, hoping it kills her. Instead of dying, she wakes up in the midnight library. The library is guarded by Mrs Elm. It provides Nora the opportunity to test out any other life she could have lived, had she done something differently in the past. Should she feel disappointed in any of her dream-lives, she will be instantly transported back to the library.

The first life Nora tries out is a life where she married ex-fiancé, Dan. In this dream-life, Nora owns a pub with Dan, like he always dreamed of. Dan is an alcoholic, has money troubles, and cheats on Nora with another woman. Nora recognizes that Dan was always manipulative, resentful, defensive, jealous, even in her root-life. She feels disappointed and is instantly transported back to the library.

With her recent loss still on her mind, Nora tries out a life in which Voltaire was kept indoors. In this dream-life, Voltaire is still dead, showing how the consequences of Nora’s choices are completely out of her control.

Missing her friend, Nora chooses is a life in which she moved to Australia with Izzy. In this life, Izzy died in a car crash. Nora is devastated and lives with a random roommate in a messy apartment.

In the hopes of appeasing her dead father, Nora tries out is a life in which she dedicated herself wholly to swimming. She is unhappy, despite being a successful swimmer and inspirational speaker. At first, Nora is glad that her brother Joe works as her manager, but soon realizes that he still does not understand her mental health issues. Nora’s dad is alive in this life, but he is still cold towards her, like he always was. Nora gives a big speech at a conference in which she discusses regret.

Inspired by Mrs Elm, who encouraged her to become a glaciologist as a child, Nora chooses a life in which she did just that. Nora comes face to face with a polar bear, making her realize how badly she wants to live. One of her fellow glaciologists, Hugo Lefèvre, turns out to be what is called a slider. This means that, like Nora, he slides in and out of different dream-lives. They have a brief fling, but Nora feels disappointed by it.

Guilt-ridden by the thought of being responsible for Joe’s depression, Nora tests out a life in which she stayed in the band with Joe and Ravi. She enjoys performing but is horrified to learn that in this life, Joe died of an overdose.

Exhausted from living out other people’s dreams for her, Nora chooses an easygoing life where she works at the local animal shelter. She has a boyfriend, Dylan, who is extremely kind to her. Despite this, Nora does not feel very deeply for him and returns to the library.

On a whim, Nora decides to try out a life in which she owns a vineyard with a man named Eduardo. Nora can tell she is happy in this life, but still, she craves something more. Obsessed with collecting new experiences, Nora goes on to try out countless other dream-lives, none of which bring her any closer to happiness. Sick and tired of searching for meaning in life, Nora manages to become persuaded by Mrs Elm to try a life in which she dated Ash, her neighbor, instead of Dan.

Nora’s life with Ash is nearly perfect. They have a wonderful daughter, Molly. They live in Cambridge and Nora is a philosophy professor: her dream job. Nonetheless, Nora feels undeserving of this life. When she visits Bedford, she realizes how much she values all her relationships there and how much work is still left to be done. She returns to the midnight library, and then, to her root-life at last.

After collapsing on Mr Banjeree’s doorstep and waking up in a hospital, Nora finds opportunities to begin again. She makes up with Joe, reconnects with Izzy, plans to ask Ash out on a date, thanks Mr Banjeree for his help, reschedules her piano lesson, and visits Mrs Elm. The real Mrs Elm lives in a care home in Bedford. Nora promises to visit her every day to play chess. The novel ends with the two of them starting a new game.