the midnight library ending explained the midnight library ending explained

Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. After a string of other unfortunate events -- fired as a music tutor, reminded of having grown apart from her former best friend Izzy, etc. When Doreen calls, Nora apologizes profusely about missing Leos lesson, but Doreen is just letting her know that Leo wants to continue his lessons. Nora is transported into a life that seems perfect. publication in traditional print. The story, then, forms solely around the lives she passes briefly through, the choices and their consequences. Back at the Library, things are falling apart. What do you think this says about the speed at which we decide things about our lives and ourselves? It's about Nora, a young woman who decides she isn't cut out for life. Back at the Library, Nora wonders why she stayed in Australia after Izzys death, and Mrs. Elm says she was depressed and grieving and got stuck there. What had she done? As Mrs. Elm reminds her: Never underestimate the big importance of small things., Now that youve read The Last Thing He Told Me, lets talk about the ending. The dialogue flows naturally and the characters come to life. She drops into new lives, again and again, awaiting the one that makes her want to stay. And yes, it really is presented that plainly. what sucks a measure of the color and life from 'The Midnight Library' is that Nora, as a character, doesn't really want anything. Chapter 53 Summary: "Lost in the Library". But her brother would no longer be part of that band. Death is ever-present at Brightcliffe Manor, and it is received as an enemy, a so-called "living shadow" that hunts its prey. As it nears midnight, Nora decides that its time for her to die. The mystery-horror series follows a group of eight terminally ill patients at Brightcliffe Hospice, run by Dr. Stanton. And again, yes, they're presented that plainly. Nora sees that her neighbor, whom she used to help out, ended up having to move to a care facility. When the connection appears to be weakening, the librarian cautions Nora to get serious about her choice. Living has become nothing but a chore. While thematically tackling death and coming to terms with the inevitable, the. Meanwhile, they talk about Noras her future and career plans. 'The Midnight Library' is unusual in that it follows a plot with no twists, no turns that don't feel like a gentle glide. Yes, it really is that simple. 6. With the help of Hugo Lefvre, a man she meets who is also jumping from life to life, Nora comes to understand the Midnight Library as a convenient trick of the brain. Shed ended up part-way through and not knowing which way to go in order to survive. Somewhere between life and death, Nora Seed finds herself wandering the marble hallways of a never-ending library; "The Midnight Library.". As Nora travels through different iterations of her life, she begins to see the motivations of those in her root life more clearly. Back at the Library, Mrs. Elm explains that basically even if Voltaire was an indoor cat, he wouldve died anyway from a heart condition. Between life and death there is a library. On her way home, she spots Leo the boy she gave piano lessons to in her root life, calming his penchant for trouble in police custody. Neil also allows Nora to put up some flyers at String Theory offering more piano lessons to others, and the ads have already gotten a large response. Antidepressants. Matt Haig has achieved another No.1 Sunday Times bestseller with The Midnight Library. And there's a deliberateness to it all. The Midnight Library is about Nora, a thirty-something woman who is regretful about her life and feels alienated and unneeded in this world. The Midnight Library, which is the place people go when they find themselves hanging precariously between life and death and not entirely sure about which way to go. What do you think your Midnight Library would be? Nora thinks about the many expensive instruments she did manage to sell in her original life. While Nora is in the library, the librarian reveals that she has the freedom to explore these alternate options in search of a more favorable reality. Chapters 1 4 (The Man at the Door, String Theory, To Live Is to Suffer, Doors). Nora lives a hundred lives. What details do you notice that show that this story is not taking place in the United States? Everything changes because of Anya's . From there, Nora tests out a multitude of lives as a concert pianist, having a teenage son, as a travel vlogger, as a cat-sitter, as an aid worker and even coming across Hugo again. The Midnight Library is unusual in that it follows a plot with no twists, no turns that don't feel like a gentle glide. Word Count: 1083. With that, Nora finds herself in a life with Ash sleeping next to her. An irreversible variation occurs, which in turn leads to further variations. She tries one where her cat was never allowed outside on the night of his death, one where she followed her swimming potential all the way to the Olympics, one where she moves to Australia with Izzy, one where she becomes a glaciologist, and one where she signs a record deal and becomes an international rock star. But in this new version of life, hes married to a woman he met at a swim meet, whom he left Noras mother for, likely accelerating the jilted womans death. She just needed to realize that her own had potential, and that she could keep reinventing herself until she achieved happiness. Nora thinks of their dashed hopes and considers that it was their unfulfilled expectation to achieve in the first place as opposed to the lack of achievement that caused their unhappiness. Instead, Nora asks to see a life where shed pursued glaciology, which her parents had discouraged. The Midnight Library is an insightful and poignant exploration into regret, second chances and ultimately the joys and tribulations of simply living. In the days that follow, after shes released from the hospital, Nora mends her relationship with her brother and her best friend, and makes plans shes excited about. In this gentle life, Nora works at an animal rescue center and is seeing a man named Dylan, who had been two years below her in secondary school, though they didnt know each other then. Next, Nora tries something different, a life where she moves to America, marries a Mexican-American man named Eduardo Martinez and they live on a small vineyard in California. The second date is today's Matt Haig's latest book, 'The Midnight Library,' discusses the potential lives every human can experience depending on the choices they make in the present. Nora discovers that she is surprisingly content in this life, and she suspects this is the one shell want to stay in. The game is interrupted by a phone call with bad news for Nora. The jokes I would have laughed at, or maybe even told. Humans are fundamentally limited, generalizing creatures, living on auto-pilot, who straighten out curved streets in their minds, which explains why they get lost all the time. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Afterwards, Nora wanders around town and thinks about Dan, her ex-fianc who shed left two days before their aborted wedding. It turns out, I didnt need a midnight library to shift my own perspective. She drags herself to her neighbors door, and he calls an ambulance as she collapses before him. If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ($2, $3, or $5) or joining the Patreon! What is the setting of "Games at Twilight"? She finds herself in an upscale hotel room, feeling very healthy. Nora can visit as many as she wants to find out what her life would have been like if she had made different decisions. She meets and talks to Hugo Lefvre. Meanwhile, Nora worries that shell die for real if she doesnt find a life she has the will to live. This is where we begin, in Matt Haig's new novel, The Midnight Library: with a young woman on the verge of making a terrible choice. Nora wonders if shes just someone who will be depressed and stuck in any life, but Mrs. Elm disagrees. 3. And who would be there? At midnight precisely, time seems to stop and Nora is engulfed in a mist. The Midnight Library is a 2020 novel by Matt Haig. Nora wonders if hell ask her out again, but instead Ash tells her that her cat, Voltaire (Volts), has been hit by a car. She is playing chess with the school librarian, Mrs. Elm, when she gets the news about her father's death. She tells Mrs. Elm that she wanted to stay in the previous life, but Mrs. Elm disagrees. However, when she goes back to her hometown she sees that her absence has had am impact. As the night goes on, she notices how much Dan drinks and when they get into an argument, she learns that Dan has been unfaithful. Nora thinks that this may be the best version of her life. Now that weve all read Where the Crawdads Sing, can we talk about the ending? to call for help. And there we have it: Noras root life, the one she so despised, had a purpose after all. 5. This was a helpful synopsis. Nadia is her fathers second wife. However, in the current reality, Doreen had never found affordable lessons, and Leo had taken a bad turn in life. Next, she asks to be taken into a reality where her version of Voltaire is an indoor cat, where she is a good cat owner and where he doesnt get hit by a car. That the prison wasnt the place, but the perspective.. She finds herself in the cabin of a boat. Chapters 36 43 (God and Other Librarians, Fame, Milky Way, Wild and Free, Ryan Bailey, A Silver Tray of Honey Cakes, The Podcast of Revelations, Howl). As Nora realizes, It is not the lives we regret not living that are the real problem. Perhaps endless. The Silent Patient ends with a major twist. The music store she used to work at as a salesperson has closed down. Joe is working as a sound engineer now. After all, she loves to read, speaks fluent English, and has memorized the Dewey Decimal system for cataloguing library books. Nora sees the cat and feels sadness, but also a bit of envy at seeing him lying there peacefully. 7. As she recovers in the hospital, Nora reflects on her ordeal and begins to feel grateful for the life she still has. Hed be dead of an overdose. Finally, Nora recalls how Ash had once asked her out and tries a life where she'd accepted that date. She also runs to Ravi, who she was once in a band with along with her brother Joe. Nora ends up trying out a multitude of lives and careers, ranging from becoming a single mom to running a winery or being an aid worker, but nothing sticks. The sea turtles I would have squealed about on vacation. Full. Neil, her boss, is nice about it, but questions why shes still even working there since he thinks shes meant for bigger things. By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. Nora wonders why Mr. Banerjee ended up in a elderly care facility in this life when he had been determined not to in her original life. Before long, things in Noras life start to turn around. In a scene that echoes other inward-looking moments from Pike's bibliography, the book in question wraps up on an epilogue set in the distant future . Book Companion. Nora passes by String Theory and notes that it has closed not too long ago. Suicide, she decides, is the only way to escape the misery of a life full of regrets. Please try again later. Hugo has seen hundreds of lives and plans to continue to do so. Through these alternate realities, she learns that the paths she'd regretted giving up weren't what she'd thought they would be. So she decides to die. When Nora tests out becoming an Artic researcher, she meets a man Hugo Lefvre, who is also jumping between his alternate realities and has been doing so for a long time. The Midnight Library Matt Haig 4.02 1,302,455 ratings141,780 reviews Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Fiction (2020) Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. In her present life, she wonders what might have . They're in the episode titles but you'll recognize hitchhikers Poppy Corn and Freedom Jack . Because who, in their darkest moments or maybe just on a Tuesday hasn't wondered what life would be like if only Nora certainly has. I hoped, each time I saw his name, that Haig was hinting the two would end up together. Clue #2: The Midnight Club novel's ending. Chapters 16 18 (The Chessboard, The Only Way to Learn Is to Live, Fire). Haig presents all of this as a straight line. And indeed, in her visit to this lovely life, Nora is married to Ash, with whom she has a daughter, Molly. Afterwards, Nora thinks about her parents, the disappointments and the crushed hopes in their lives. Upon her arrival, the Midnight Library glitches slightly until Nora thinks about her desire to remain alive. Few fantasies are more enduring than the idea that there might be a second chance at a life already lived, some sort of magical reset in which mistakes can be . What if she had married her fiance, Dan, instead of calling off the wedding two days beforehand? As she gets to one part, many of the regrets are related to Dan. There is sadness and pointlessness, soft meditations on the cost of fame and the dignity of smaller lives, lots of quotes from philosophers (because that's what Nora studied in school), and quiet thoughts about the weight of meaning in a universe where everything that can happen, does. A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time. Do you think its understandable that she would have given these things up? Nora tries out a life with her ex, Dan, who she nearly married, only to discover that he would have gotten bored and cheated on her. His latest novel is The Midnight Library and the audiobook edition is read by Carey Mulligan. In a last-ditch effort to save the world, The Midnight Suns decide they'll interrupt Lilith's ritual and destroy the Darkhold with the God Killer, cueing the team to suit up and head into battle . Whole. What would've happened if she'd stuck with the band she and her brother and their friend Ravi had started rather than bailing just when they were about to get big? He had been staunchly against her staying in the band. The grand clock on the librarys front reads 12:00 a.m. Mrs. Elm tells Nora that almost all of the books on the library's seemingly infinite shelves represent lives that Nora could have lived if she had made different choices. Mrs. Elm points out that time has started progressing forward once again on Noras watch. But every time one decision is taken over another, the outcomes differ. The second is the date of In her mind, Nora marvels that Dan would be bored of her and cheating in one life, but practically obsessed with her in another. Immortality, Sadness And Drinking With Shakespeare In 'How To Stop Time'. Our teacher made us read this, now writing an essay about the book and this is quite helpful for summarising all the key events of the book so thanks. She now covers swimming for the BBC. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Major spoilers for "The Midnight Library" are ahead. . Eventually, Nora is heartbroken to appear in the Midnight Library yet again. Hugo, she learns, sees a video store instead of a library and a beloved uncle instead of Mrs. Elm. A simplicity to the narrative that has to be taken as a choice on Haig's part, not an accident. As a place, the Midnight Library isn't really a library (of course), but is instead a 101-level lecture in parallel universe theory, philosophy and quantum indeterminacy. Her situational grief and existing depression coalesce until she feels impossibly burdened by them, and she decides to take her own life. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Then, she thinks about Mrs. Elm telling her to never underestimate the big importance of small things. Matt Haig's thought-provoking, uplifting new book, The Midnight Library discusses just that, exploring our relationship with regret and what really makes a perfect life.". As time passes, she finds herself feeling grateful for this life. Noras mother, Donna, had at one point had some type of breakdown that resulted in her never returning to work. This story is part of a series for people who have already read the book and want to think more deeply about the plot and ending. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. Instead, Nora decides she wants to try a gentle life next, one about working with animals. The two were close: Nora would often play chess with Mrs. Elm during breaks, and Mrs. Elm was the one who informed Nora of her fathers unexpected death in the middle of one school day. She just lost her job and cat, has fallen out with her brother and best friend and generally assumes shes a giant disappointment. Later, she awakes in the hospital. Nora thinks about the career in glaciology shed considered but didnt end up pursuing after Mrs. Elms (joking) suggestion so many years ago. What is the setting of "Games at Twilight" by Anita Desai? The Midnight Library study guide contains a biography of Matt Haig, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. More importantly, she is just deeply, seemingly irretrievably, sad. Mrs. Elm talks about her own regrets in life, how shes let people down and she thinks theyve given up on her. Infinite possibility, sure, but only one shot at each of them. T.J.Parker 212 Followers My not so random reviews and thoughts In this storyline, she owns a pub with her husband Dan. I usually read three books at once and treat Goodreads . If she had become a glaciologist? We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Directed by George Clooney and starring Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Tiffany Boone . 1. She begs, pleads, shouts at the universe to keep her alive. Nora learns that Ingrid took this research position after Per (presumably her husband) had died to get away from the memory of him. And then Nora wakes up. She thinks about how swimming was something shed pursued because it was important to her father, but not to her. We tend to romanticize other variations of our lives we would have no cares in the world, if only we had done this and that differently. On Instagram, she has 11.3 million followers. Nora is able to see this memory, and she also sees that Joe had tried to go in after her to help, but others had stopped him. Where, for an hour, a day or a month, she gets to dip into and sample lives where she made different choices, with the ultimate goal of erasing those regrets and finding a life she's comfortable in. Follow along on Goodreads, or keep in touch via the newsletter. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a 2020 novel about a woman on the threshold between life and death who visits parallel versions of her life. The Midnight Club is an exploration of mortality, with every one of the teenagers facing their certain death in their own ways. They have to be intense, with complex story lines and big words to truly be a great book. Its a disappointment, and Nora soon finds herself back at the Midnight Library. Do you think that wanting to be the best at something can inhibit us from enjoying it? What if she had never given up swimming, the sport her father was desperate for her to continue? As she writes, I AM ALIVE, she awakes on her own mattress and vomits. The Midnight Library is the place where Nora gets to find out. She sees that the lawn is overgrown. For those readers who. Angela Hauptis a freelance writer and editor. However, Mrs. Elm says thats not a possibility since in every life her mother would have been dead by now. Why a campaign to rename smear tests was rejected. Nora discovers a life that she thinks is quite nice, where they have a young daughter named Molly and a dog named Plato. Mrs. Elm implies that these are a symptom of Noras health in her root life. They are here to study climate change. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight .