The Midnight Library
by Matt Haig
Contents
The Librarian
Overview
Nora meets the Midnight Library’s librarian, who is revealed to be her former school librarian, Mrs Elm. The familiar figure triggers memories of past grief and trust. Nora questions whether she is dead, but Mrs Elm says it is a library and not exactly the afterlife, setting up an explanation.
Summary
A woman appears and warns Nora to be careful just as Nora reaches for a book. Smartly dressed with cropped grey hair and a turtle-green polo neck, the woman identifies herself as the librarian. Nora recognizes her as Mrs Elm, her old school librarian.
The recognition stirs memories of rainy chess games and the day Nora learned her father had died. Nora recalls Mrs Elm’s calm presence and physical comfort, and her words: "Things will get better, Nora. It’s going to be all right." Those memories re-establish trust and steadiness amid Nora’s disorientation.
Returning to the present, Nora asks where she is and whether she is dead. Mrs Elm replies that this is a library. When Nora presses about the afterlife, Mrs Elm answers, “Not exactly,” signaling that an explanation is coming and that this place follows its own rules.
Who Appears
- Nora SeedDisoriented in the Midnight Library; recognizes Mrs Elm, recalls her father’s death, and questions whether she is dead.
- Mrs ElmThe librarian; appears, warns Nora, revealed as Nora’s former school librarian, poised to explain the library.