There, she meets Mrs. Elm, her old school librarian who acts as her guide and mentor. Mrs. Elm explains to Nora that she can choose any book from the library and enter the life that it represents.
She can also return to the library at any time if she is not satisfied with the life she has chosen. However, there are some rules and limitations.
Nora cannot change anything in the lives she visits; she can only experience them as they are. She also cannot stay in any life forever; she has to make a final decision before the library closes or else she will die.
Moreover, Nora has to deal with the consequences of her choices on herself and others; some lives may be better for her but worse for others, and vice versa.
As Nora explores various lives where she is a rock star, an Olympic swimmer, a glaciologist, a pub owner, a wife, a mother, and more, she learns more about herself and what truly matters to her.
She also realizes that every life has its own challenges and joys, and that happiness is not a destination but a state of mind. Will Nora find a life that suits her best?
Will she be able to return to her original life and appreciate it more? Will she discover the meaning of her existence and find peace with herself?
Plot Analysis
The plot of The Midnight Library can be divided into four stages:
Initial Exposure
This stage introduces Nora’s original life and the reasons why she wants to end it. We learn about her background, personality, relationships, dreams, regrets, and problems.
We also learn about some of the choices that have shaped her life, such as quitting swimming, dropping out of university, breaking up with Dan, leaving Ash’s band, losing contact with Joe, etc.
Main Conflict
This stage presents Nora’s dilemma of choosing between different lives in the library. We follow her as she tries out various lives where she has different careers, partners, families, friends, locations, etc.
We see how each life affects her physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, etc. We also see how each life affects others around her positively or negatively.
Peak Story
This stage shows Nora’s realization of what truly matters to her and what makes her happy. We witness her growth as a person and her appreciation of her original life.
