Book review: The Midnight Library and In Five Years

On a side note: Because both of these books had detailed plot developments I had to use sticky notes while reading them. “The Midnight Library” had a lot of minor characters. I wasn’t sure if they were going to reappear in later chapters, and there were a lot of different settings and scenarios for Nora’s life. In the book “In Five Years” there were some romantic scenes that happened early on that kept a suspenseful tone for the reader for most of the novel. There are also a lot of events that take place in this book also with Bella’s health conditions, Dannie’s bridal engagement, and Dannie’s job.  

Overall I liked the book “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig; the plot development was interesting, the concept of the book was unique, and Nora the main character is relatable to anyone in their mid twenties/ early thirties. Originally I thought the main character was going to be a male character because I had read Matt Haig’s nonfiction book, “Reasons to Stay Alive”. I also thought the book was going to have dramatic themes of life and death, right vs. wrong, and philosophical decision making. 

While the book used the theme of decision making as a way for Nora to experience different potential lives she could have lived, it also explains how small decisions can impact future realities for the character. I didn’t like all the different lives that Nora went through. There were a lot of different lives she had such as Olympian, glacier scientist, Rockstar, bar owner and worker, dog shelter worker, wife, and mother. With all of the different possible lives it didn't lead to much character development until the end when the Midnight Library burns down, and Nora is grateful and content with living a normal life. She is hoping to end up in a relationship with Ash, working on her research in philosophy, and have children and a family. 

There are some interesting characters in the book, specifically Mrs. Elm and Hugo. Mrs. Elm works at the Midnight Library and plays chess with Nora when Nora visits the library. Mrs. Elm has information about the books, the mysterious/ magical library itself, and words of advice to Nora as she tries to understand why she wanted to end her life the day prior. Mrs. Elm, who was the school librarian, discusses the topics of life, regret, possibility, and opportunity with Nora. Midway through the book she compares Nora to a pawn when Nora is feeling sad and upset for herself, "And even if you were a pawn - maybe we all are - then you should remember that a pawn is the most magical piece of all. It might look small and ordinary but it isn't because a pawn is never just a pawn. A pawn is a queen-in-waiting." Mrs. Elm at the end of book also tells Nora that she was never a pawn, inferring that she was always been in charge of her life.  

 The character Hugo was interesting because he showed that Nora wasn’t the only character changing / swapping lives in the book. Hugo appears in the novel about a third of the way through, and tells Nora that instead of a library with books, his intermediate life is set at a video game store. His approach is different from Nora’s where he tries on many different lives instead of trying to follow along with just the one given. Hugo is unhappy with most of his lives unlike Nora who is intrigued with the different possibilities. It’s clear that Hugo isn’t fully aware of what he wants from his core life, while Nora is unclear of the career choices and close relationships. Nora tries seeks to have a meaningful life in each different scenario. 

There are other minor characters throughout the book, and Nora’s family and friends stay the same throughout the novel. Although the characters' personalities and personas may change, the actual characters (name, gender, age, relation to Nora) stay the same. 

The book moves at a faster pace than most because almost each chapter Nora is changing/ swapping lives. This book is a fun read if it were for small group reading or partner reading because of the plot development in the book. 

There are also sections and paragraphs in the book where Nora explains the importance of life, living in the moment, and being an optimist about the future. On page 277, it is a Facebook post that Nora created to her friends and family about vitality and life longevity. It’s completely different than her Facebook posts at the beginning of the novel, where her post is a reflection of her depression and sadness. 

Overall, the book is a positive, feel-good type of read, and the writing isn’t wordy or too difficult to understand. 

The book, “In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle was different from what I had originally expected. The main character Dannie has a Type A personality, a lawyer at a prestigious law firm in Manhattan New York. With the plot detailing her bridal engagement, her best friend’s life and health conditions, and the complications with career choices and friendships, Dannie’s life is seen as a whirlwind of problems that keep arising. 

The main character Dannie is mostly fixed in her ways of achieving. She is used to being direct and honest about most things throughout the book. I found it annoying that she kept calling the character Greg by the name “Aaron”, and that there seemed to be a strange suspense between the two characters throughout the book without much character conversation/ development until the end. With the amount of details and thoughtful word choice from the author, the book at times seemed too polished, and there weren't enough words or blank space for the reader to focus on the character’s feelings or plot. Serle used direct language, besides the infatuation between Dannie and Greg. 

Bella is Dannie’s best friend, and most of the story revolves around the two early thirty something females, and their quest to get their adult lives in order. Bella is the complete opposite of Dannie when it comes to decorating, art, lifestyle, and feeling her emotions. Dannie is more an organized, thought before action planner who doesn’t like to wear her emotions on her sleeve, while Bella is much more carefree and follows her heart.

 There seemed to be “Gossip Girl” elements in the book with the details in  clothing, the characters living in expensive New York, and the different unique, lavish places mentioned in the book. It almost seemed as though the book could have been two separate books entirely with the one focusing on Dannie’s friendships and career and the other focusing on Dannie's relationships: a long term relationship and a short term one. The wordiness in the book became slightly repetitive; the author details the clothes the characters are wearing and what they are eating for dinner frequently. Serle doesn’t incorporate flowy language in her book to allude to the reader about the characters feelings or actions. 

 Dannie did not show enough emotion towards her job being stressful, which is a main reason I had a difficult time relating to her as a character. The book is sad because Bella dies of cancer, and the author does a good job detailing the scenes that follow. It was still a slightly difficult read because Dannie never had enough inner dialogue to let the reader know how she was feeling about the Aaron/Greg situation vs. her long term boyfriend David.

 I expected this book to be a little bit more relaxed with its sentence structure and its plot because it seems to be a favorite on the reading market. A main component of the book is the details given to Dannie and Bella’s friendship. An example of this is the conversation that Dannie has with Bella’s mom at the end of the novel. It shows that Bella’s family didn’t have a plan for her and sent her to the same Elementary school as Dannie. This is because Jill (Bella’s mom) thought Dannie was a good friend for Bella only after the girls meeting once, by accident.  

Overall it was a good book. I wished there was more language that alluded to the reader about the character’s emotions. I also wished the book was a bit more relaxed with its writing style, each chapter made me slightly anxious to see which way the plot was going. Despite some things I wish that could have been changed, this book is still a good choice for females my age. The book does a good job illustrating adult female friendships, career choices, and long term relationships.

Thanks for reading!