Journeys Through Time
Novels that explore alternative realities
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Premise:
Nora is depressed, feeling regretful and insignificant as she recounts her many failures. One night, she decides to commit suicide and finds herself at a library filled with never-ending rows of books. The only other person there is Mrs. Elm, the kind librarian from Nora’s childhood.
Nora’s watch has stopped at exactly midnight, and Mrs. Elm explains that Nora isn’t dead but suspended in time. Each book in the library represents a different trajectory of Nora’s life. She can open any book and it will take her to an alternate timeline — showing her what her life would have been like if she had made different decisions.
Nora goes through numerous lives — some where she’s married and has children, some where she fulfills long-lost career goals, and others where she cultivates old friendships. As she goes through these lives, Nora begins to realize each comes with their own downfall. She had been filled with regret, but the stories in each of these books prove she’s made many of the right choices along the way.
But even after going through hundreds of lives, Nora remains unfulfilled. When she can’t decide which book tells the story she wants to live…
