As an avid reader, I am often pleasantly surprised by the phenomena of encountering a piece of writing which, while it was surely written without me in mind, seems catered perfectly to myself. As someone who tends to second-guess myself and my decisions, when I first read Matt Haig’s “The Midnight Library” a few years ago, I was absolutely struck when I read his words: “It was interesting, she mused to herself, how life sometimes simply gave you a whole new perspective by waiting around long enough for you to see it.”

English author Matt Haig has written several internationally bestselling novels, and an immensely successful memoir, “Reasons to Stay Alive,” according to his website. Most recently, Haig released his new novel, “The Midnight Train,” which exists in the same fictional universe as his bestseller “The Midnight Library.”

If you’ve yet to pick up one of Haig’s books, I urge you to start with this series. Haig’s series, especially if you’re in a period of unease, uncertainty—limbo, so to speak—are eye-opening and are sure to leave you with a new perspective to carry into your everyday life. 

“The Midnight Library,” officially published in 2020, is a fictional story following a protagonist named Nora Seed, a 36 year-old woman. Nora, experiencing an intense bout of depression, tragically attempts to commit suicide. Afterwards, Nora finds herself in a realm that resembles a library that lies between life and death, but is separate from both. In Haig’s novel, Nora is given the choice to observe the many ways her life could have unfolded, had she made a different decision at various points in her life. Each book in the library records a life that Nora might have lived, and she gets the chance to dive into these alternate realities, experiencing these endless possibilities. 

Six years later, Haig released “The Midnight Train,” a thematically similar novel existing in the same fictional universe as “The Midnight Library.” The second novel in the series, while similarly introspective, follows a different path. “The Midnight Train” focuses on protagonist Wilbur Budd, an 81-year-old man. Wilbur experiences a devastating heart attack at the beginning of Haig’s novel, and is immediately thrown into a purgatory-esque existence. Wilbur’s state is similar to Nora’s, though Wilbur finds himself at a train station, rather than a library. Comparable to Nora, Wilbur is granted the opportunity to observe the life he has lived, but he is unable to observe the alternate realities he might have experienced. Throughout the novel, Wilbur attempts to alter the decisions of his past self, seeing if he can alter the course of his life with his newly acquired hindsight.

The beauty of Haig’s novels is their ability to flip your understanding of tragedy on its head. Nora and Wilbur’s stories, while beginning in a tragic way, will leave you with a sense of autonomy and clarity in your decision-making. Each of these characters have reached a point of immense dissatisfaction with their past decisions and their current consequences. It’s undeniably a disheartening first impression of these characters—but their acquired wisdom will inspire you to take their lessons into your own life. 

The mystical existence of Nora in her personal library will lead you to consider how your decisions will set you on one of many paths; but, instead of putting you into decision-making paralysis, her journey will ultimately show you that your sense of clarity and purpose will always be more useful than the ability to undo (or do-over) the choices in your past that keep you up at night.  Wilbur’s ride on an elusive train will make you reflect on your priorities, and how they can multiply your contentment, or unease, over time. His story serves as a wonderful reminder to treat the people we love with respect and devotion and reconsider our definitions of success. Wilbur’s realizations will  in Haig’s words teach you to “just try and live life like…it can’t be measured.”  Haig’s series will make you hold onto the truths that put things into perspective as you walk through your day; even though we have infinite possibilities in our choices and experiences, we need to nurture the fulfillment that comes from making the most of our interactions with the people around us, and keeping our priorities at the top of our minds. 

Whether or not you live in a constant state of second-guessing your decisions, Matt Haig’s series will give you the chance to indulge in the kind of self-reflection we all need.