Nineteen years later, Nora receives a visit from Ash, a doctor who once asked her out. Nora hopes he might ask her out again but finds his presence awkward. Eventually, Ash informs Nora that her cat, Voltaire, has been hit by a car. Nora rushes outside and finds Voltaire dead. Despite feeling sad, she envies the cat's fate.
Nora works at a music store called String Theory. She arrives late and tells her boss, Neil, about Voltaire's death, hoping for sympathy. Instead, Neil questions Nora's life choices. He asks why she stopped swimming and why she left her band, The Labyrinths. Nora also mentions her canceled engagement. When Neil mentions Joe's recent visit, Nora feels hurt. Neil fires Nora, believing she can do better.
Jobless and aimless, Nora walks around Bedford. She thinks about Dan's drunken texts and wonders if things will get worse. Nora seeks shelter in a magazine store as it starts raining. The narrator suggests that things are about to get worse for Nora.
Nora encounters Ravi, her brother's friend and former bandmate, at the magazine store. She asks about Joe's visit, but Ravi is angry and reluctant to share. He reveals resentment towards Nora for leaving the
band when they had a chance at a recording contract. Ravi mentions Joe's depression and Nora's fear of life. They argue, and Ravi leaves.
Kerry-Anne, the store worker, remembers Nora from school and questions her life choices. Nora explains she returned to Bedford due to her mother's illness and hastily leaves, yearning for an escape.
Nora reaches out to her friend Izzy, seeking connection. Seven hours before her decision to die, she ponders the words of Henry David Thoreau. Nora believes Thoreau's time was simpler than her own life in Bedford. She feels that nothing significant ever happens to her.
Nora receives an unexpected call, hoping it's Izzy or her brother, but it turns out to be Leo's mother, informing her that Nora forgot his music lesson. Leo and Doreen waited but left. Doreen decides to cancel Leo's lessons permanently. Nora feels overwhelmed with a sense of uselessness and returns home, where the smell of Voltaire's presence lingers. She seeks solace in wine and online comparison, feeling like a failureand believing she's not meant to live. Nora consumes all her wine, updates social media, and writes a suicide note.
In a mist-covered pathway, Nora encounters a large building with a clock striking midnight. Inside, countless bookshelves filled with books of various sizes and shades of green catch her attention. Nora tries to find an exit but fails. When she takes a book from a shelf, a voice warns her to be cautious.
The voice belongs to Mrs. Elm, Nora's former high school librarian, who appears prim and proper. Nora recalls a significant day in the library when Mrs. Elm comforted her after receiving news of her father's death.
Nora questions her whereabouts and whether she is dead.
Mrs. Elm explains that Nora is in a library situated between life and death. It holds all the possible lives Nora could have lived if she had made different choices. Each book offers the opportunity to experience a different life. Nora expresses her desire to die, but Mrs. Elm reminds her that death is beyond her control. Nora feels disappointed even by death itself, reflecting on her regrets. Mrs. Elm reveals that the library exists as long as Nora is alive and urges her to decide how she wants to live before it's too late.
As the shelves start moving, Mrs. Elm explains that each book represents a life where Nora made different choices, resulting in a cascade of differences. Nora can explore these alternate lives in the Midnight Library. When Nora struggles to decide, Mrs. Elm presents a gray book known as The Book of Regrets, which holds the source of her problems and their potential solutions.
Following Mrs. Elm's instruction, Nora opens The Book of Regrets and finds her regrets documented on its pages. Regrets from various stages of her life are depicted, some faint and others bold. Some regrets vanish temporarily before reappearing. Towards the end of the book, Nora notices that most of her regrets revolve around her treatment of Dan.
Nora reflects on her initial meeting with Dan and the happiness he brought into her life. They shared a dream of opening a countryside pub, but Nora's mother's illness disrupted their plans. Nora's mother passed away just three months before their wedding, leading Nora to makeexcuses and stay in Bedford. She called off the wedding, canceled
plans with her friend Izzy, and sabotaged her own life. Overwhelmed by regret, Nora drops the book and cries. Mrs. Elm advises her to close the book quickly to prevent being overwhelmed. Despite its weight, Nora manages to shut it.
Mrs. Elm urges Nora to select a life from the books. She encourages Nora to choose a life based on a regret she wishes to undo. Nora, however, questions the purpose of trying. Mrs. Elm reminds her that the Midnight Library exists while she is alive in her "root life" and that she will need somewhere to exist once her root life ends. The library encompasses the present and future from this midnight moment. Nora can explore these lives and reside in them for an undefined duration. The books do not contain past lives, only future possibilities.
When Nora notices the ceiling adorned with flickering bulb lights, Mrs. Elm warns that once Nora dies in her root life, the Midnight Library disappears. Nora's feelings of depression in this in-between place can also affect her root life. If Nora feels disappointed in one of the lives she tries, she will return to the Midnight Library and have the opportunity to try again. Nora must choose a new life and find happiness in it before her root life concludes.
Finally, Nora starts contemplating a regret she wants to reshape, specifically focusing on Dan, their marriage, and his pub dream. Mrs. Elm discovers this life and presents the corresponding book to Nora. As Nora begins reading the first line, the text vanishes, signaling the start of a new life.
After leaving the Midnight Library, Nora finds herself in the English countryside. She notices an engagement ring and wedding band on her finger, and her hands feel smoother in this life. As she looks around, she sees a chalkboard outside a pub called The Three Horseshoes and realizes that it belongs to her and Dan. It seems that Dan's dream of opening a pub has become a reality. In her root life, they had to put their pub plans on hold when Nora's mother became terminally ill. Nora sees a
placard indicating that she's in Littleworth, in the Oxfordshire countryside. She enters the pub, where she encounters someone she's supposed to know, and realizes that thisis the third person she has encountered in this manner. There is also a Burmese cat named Voltaire in the pub. When Nora hears Dan approaching, she feels a flood of nostalgia and happiness. She expresses her pride in him and their accomplishments, but Dan responds with a blank stare, making Nora feel as though her words were strange and out of place. They engage in a conversation about a pub quiz night, but Dan's jokes about Nora's intellect trigger memories of his crude humor and his disdain for her music career. Nora becomes disappointed and rushes outside. She receives text messages from her friend Izzy with pictures of whales, realizing that her friendship with Izzy is better in this life, and that Izzy must have followed her dream of working with whales in Australia. Nora goes back inside and sees various books on display in their bedroom. Dan asks if she's alright, but his cold and empty voice confirms to Nora that she can't be with a stranger. She remembers Dan's opposition to her music career and his lack of enthusiasm for a song she wrote for him. Dan dryly jokes about not trying for a baby, revealing that he had an affair with a woman named Erin. Nora confronts Dan, but he becomes annoyed and ignores her questions. She realizes that even though she used to regret not having this life, Dan doesn't appreciate her or the life they have together. Disappointed, she goes into the bathroom and fades away.
Nora makes a social media post where she reflects on how people end up in their current lives, feeling trapped like in a maze. She mentions that she can hear successful and happy people who have made it outside the maze but can't find her own way out. She concludes the post by revealing that her cat has died.
Despite trying out various lives, Nora still feels a deep desire to die. Mrs. Elm introduces the concept of want and lack, suggesting that her desire to die might be rooted in a sense of lacking something. If Nora can find fulfillment and fill that lack in her life, her desire to die might diminish. However, Nora still feels that all lives would be meaningless because she exists in all of them.
Mrs. Elm proposes that Nora looks at The Book of Regrets again to identify what she truly wants to experience. She playfully asks Nora about her cat, Voltaire, sensing that she is engaging in a chess-like game with Nora. Curious, Nora takes the bait and expresses her wish to visit a life where she is a good cat owner to Voltaire and where she no longer desires to die.
Nora wakes up in her bed in Bedford and calls out for Voltaire. She discovers him lifeless under the bed. Nora realizes that in her root life, Voltaire suffered from a heart disease that caused his death. Mrs. Elm explains that Nora didn't ask for a life in which Voltaire was alive, but a life in which she was a good cat owner and Voltaire was inside the house. Nora accepts that she couldn't have visited a life where Voltaire was alive again. Mrs. Elm assures Nora that in her root life, she was indeed a great cat owner, and Voltaire loved her. Nora has difficulty accepting this new information but follows Mrs. Elm's suggestion to look at the regret about Voltaire in The Book of Regrets. As she does so, the regret disappears, allowing Nora to see herself as a good cat owner. Mrs. Elm emphasizes that Nora herself has changed because of this shift in perception. Nora questions why she must go through potentially traumatic experiences, and Mrs. Elm says that sometimes the only way to learn is to live. Nora initially pushes back against this, but Mrs. Elm challenges her by agreeing to do nothing. Nora soon becomes bored and, after another reminder of the infinite possibilities, chooses a life in which she went to Australia with Izzy. Mrs. Elm mentions that Nora is getting better at choosing lives that will matter to her, but she doesn't elaborate. Nora is handed the book, and after reading the first sentence, she disappears into that life.
Nora finds herselfin a new life, gasping for air in a saltwater pool near a beach. She looks around for Izzy but doesn't find her. There are other swimmers in the pool who warmly greet her, suggesting that swimming is her morning routine in this life. Nora notices the colorful Casio watch she's wearing and hopes it reflects her personality. She deduces that she is in Bronte Beach, Sydney, and realizes that either she isn't with Izzy or Izzy isn't in Byron Bay as planned. Nora encounters someone she's supposed to know, who jokes about her seeming out of it. He mentions seeing her later at work. Nora checks her phone for answers and discovers that she posts poetry. She reads a troubling poem titled "Fire" and recalls a message she sent to a friend mentioning her new apartment. The poem and message worry her, so she rushes to the apartment, concerned about the distant tone and content. Inside, she finds a rundown, student-style interior. She meets her roommate, Jojo, who plays a video game and smokes from a vape pen. Nora notices a National Geographic magazine on the bathroom floor, reminding her of her past desire to be a glaciologist. Jojo explains that Nora wanted to try cat-sitting for money and shares strange theories. Nora asks about Izzy, which makes Jojo uncomfortable, and learns that Izzy died in a car crash while driving to visit Nora for her birthday. Shocked, Nora fades away once again.
Nora returns to the library and finds Mrs. Elm playing chess. Nora expresses her dissatisfaction with the previous life she experienced, but Mrs. Elm reminds her that good choices don't always lead to good outcomes. Nora recalls a study about zebrafish, where depressed fish stayed below a line drawn in a fish tank, but when given Prozac, they swam above the line. Nora likens her experience in Australia to being in a fish tank and notes that she is on anti-depressants in every life. Mrs. Elm encourages Nora to choose another life, and despite feeling that the exercise is futile, Nora remembers the happiness she felt swimming in Australia and her love for swimming competitively in her root life. She asks to live a life where she never gave up swimming and didn't wound her father. Mrs. Elm comments on the choice, and Nora believes it's a
reflection on her decision. Nevertheless, Mrs.Elm finds the book Nora wants to experience.
Nora posts on social media that she misses her cat and feels tired.
Nora wakes up in London, in great physical shape and immensely successful. She is due to give a speech on "Inspiring Success" that day. Nora checks online and finds that Izzy is alive and happy in Australia, and Dan is happily married to a spin-class instructor. Nora's Wikipedia page reveals that she went to the Olympics twice, won gold and silver medals, set world records, and retired from competition at 28. She now works for the BBC and has written memoirs on success. Nora feels confident and compares herself to a "self-help Joan of Arc." She discovers that her father is still alive in this life when she receives a call from someone named Nadia. Nora speaks to her father and learns that he had an affair with Nadia, leading to his divorce. She also discovers that something terrible happened to her in Portugal and she is seeing a therapist. Nora feels anger towards her father's perceived selfishness in this life. She follows her itinerary and encounters her brother Joe, who is happy and well-dressed. Nora is overwhelmed by the good relationship she has with Joe in this life, unlike her root life. They discuss Nora's past interest in glaciers and her desire to work with them. Joe mentions meeting Ravi, their former bandmate, who is leading a lackluster life. Nora becomes aware that both Joe and Rory, the woman assisting with the talk preparations, notice that she is somehow different.
Nora and Joe are sitting together, waiting for an event to start. Nora now knows that Joe has been her manager for the past seven years, and
she admires how professional he is in this life. He offers her peppermint tea, even though she secretly craves the coffee he's drinking. Joe is concerned about Nora's well-being and reminds her that the 40-minute talk they are about to do is a significant opportunity.
Nora starts to wonder if Joe ever wonders how different life could have been, but he admits that he doesn't think about such things. He imagines he would still be in school in Manchester, which surprises Nora because in her root life, Joe never pursued higher education or cared much for school. She also learns that Joe has been happily married to a man named Ewan for five years, a contrast to her root life, where Joe had difficulty finding love.
During their conversation, Nora quotes Thoreau, which surprises Joe, as it's something she wouldn't have done in her root life. She reflects on the fact that, in this life, she gave up her love of philosophy to become a successful swimmer.
Joe mentions a documentary he watched about Greenland, which sparks a discussion about Nora's previous fascination with glaciers. They talk about Svalbard, where she once wanted to work with glaciers. Joe also tells Nora that he ran into Ravi, who still seems to long for their band-playing days. Ravi is now leading a lackluster life, and Joe invited him to Nora's talk.
When Nora asks about her whereabouts when their mother passed away, Joe becomes concerned about her again. He reminds Nora that she didn't have time to be with their mother due to her busy schedule, and their mother's death was a result of drinking because of the Nadia affair. This revelation saddens Nora, as she feels guilty about not being there for their mother, which shocks Joe because, in this life, Nora was never close to their mother.
Nora is called to speak at the event. Despite feeling a panic attack coming on, she starts her talk about the tree of life. Nora mentions how every branch represents a choice in life and describes her learnings from Mrs. Elm in the Midnight Library. She goes off-script and admits that life is "bollocks" and that a rotten life will always be rotten regardless of new choices. Joe tries to stop her, but Nora slips away from the successful life
and returns to the Midnight Library.
Upon returning to the library, Nora sees the lights flickering, indicating a system error. Mrs. Elm doesn't initially hear Nora until she touches her. Mrs. Elm explains that there was an error with Nora's transfer, possibly suggesting that she is closer to death in her root life. However, when Nora thinks about swimming in a pool, she undergoes a shift and feels conflicted about wanting to die. This shift fixes the system error, and Nora expresses her desire to experience a life where her mother is alive. Mrs. Elm reminds her that the books contain her own life, not the lives of others. Nora decides to try a life where she pursued studying glaciers in the Arctic Circle.
Nora wakes up in Svalbard and finds herself sharing a cabin with a woman named Ingrid Skirbekk, a professor of geoscience. Nora realizes she is hungover and not as physically fit in this life as in previous lives. The cold in Svalbard is intense and seems to penetrate through her clothing. Ingrid asks Nora why she became a glaciologist, and Nora jokingly attributes it to her love for the cold. Nora avoids answering the same question herself by asking Ingrid in return. Ingrid opens up about her life, sharing detailsabout her deceased lover and how his presence continues to haunt her. Nora notices a rifle in the cabin and feels a sense of adventure for the first time.
Nora goes to the cafeteria and observes the beautiful landscape from the windows. She takes mental notes about her fellow scientists. A man named Hugo Lef?vre, who appears more suited for a sunny beach, sits next to her and introduces himself. He admires Nora's work on pulsating glaciers and engages her in conversation. Nora tries not to engage too much with Hugo, but he continues to ask questions. She feels guilty under his inquisitive gaze and apologizes for her absentmindedness,
jokingly attributing it to vodka. Hugo playfully suggests another reason for her forgetfulness, making Nora feel even more guilty. He jokes about Nora being the spotter for the day without explaining its meaning. Nora refrains from asking what a spotter is to avoid giving herself away.
Nora finds herself on a small patch of ice-covered land with a rifle. She learns that her role as a spotter is to watch out for polar bears and warn the other scientists on the island. If necessary, she must shoot a flare into the sky and make noise to scare away the bears. Most of the time, making loud noises is enough to drive the polar bears away, but in extreme cases, Nora may need to use the rifle to defend herself and her colleagues. Nora walks in circles, wondering why she hasn't returned to the Midnight Library yet. She daydreams about being in a sunny place or a beautiful city like Paris. Her thoughts turn to Thoreau's concept of solitude and how it relates to her current extreme solitude. She recalls a conversation with Ash, a doctor, about the impact of social media on loneliness. Nora hears a splash in the water and is relieved to see a walrus instead of a polar bear. As she eats, she notices something larger than a walrus or a human approaching her.
Nora realizes that she is in serious trouble.
Nora finds herself face-to-face with a large polar bear, causing her to be paralyzed with fear. Despite her initial hesitation, she musters the courage to shoot a flare to scare the bear away. She calls out to Mrs. Elm, desperately wanting to return to the Midnight Library, but nothing happens. Nora then tries to scare off the bear by banging a saucepan
loudly, but the bear remains undeterred.
In the midst of her terror, Nora comes to a crucial realization - she doesn't want to die. This newfound appreciation for life compels her to intensify her efforts to scare away the bear. She continues banging the saucepan with renewed determination and repeatedly tells herself that she is not scared. Nora opens her eyes and, to her relief, sees the polar bear retreating back into the water. Just in time, her coworkers arrive, adding to her sense of safety and rescue from the dangerous situation.
Nora and her fellow scientists return to the ship. Nora is in shock, but her shock comes more from her newfound desire to live than from the near-death encounter with the polar bear. She realizes that being connected to nature means wanting to live. Nora contemplates the vastness of the surrounding landscape and believes that people themselves have a vastness inside. She embraces her own vastness and relishes in her newfound love for life.
After the bear encounter, Nora receives sympathy from her fellow scientists on the ship. She admires their dedication to studying climate change and their willingness to endure the harsh conditions of the Arctic Circle. Nora compares their meaningful work to her own past feelings of mediocrity, which she believed were inherited from her blood relatives. She reflects on her maternal grandfather's dreams of wealth, her parents' discontentment in their lives, and how she felt she had inherited a "baton of failure" from them. However, Nora begins to consider that life might be about embracing both ups and downs rather than striving for constant perfection. She forgives her parents and realizes that she loved them more than she had known.
Nora has always expected herself to fail and has struggled to accept herself. However, she decides to embrace self-acceptance, similar to how she accepts thenatural world around her. This newfound acceptance brings her a sense of freedom.
Nora and Hugo discuss their experiences as "sliders" and their encounters with different versions of themselves. Hugo explains that the Midnight Library and Uncle Philippe's video store are interpretations of the complex quantum realm they are experiencing. He refers to the guide figures, Mrs. Elm and Uncle Philippe, as sliders who help them navigate through infinite possibilities. Hugo shares his understanding of the quantum wave function, where every possibility exists simultaneously, similar to Schr?dinger's cat experiment. He explains that with every decision, people enter a new universe. While there is typically no communication between these universes, sliders like Nora and Hugo have found a way to communicate with their different selves.
Nora and Hugo engage in sexual activity, but Nora feels disappointed and disconnected from the experience. She reflects on Hugo's intensity in conversation and life but senses a detachment from the act of sex. As she contemplates her dissatisfaction, Nora suddenly disappears from the scene.
Nora questions Mrs. Elm about her role in the Midnight Library and criticizes the unfairness of almost dying in a life that isn't her root life. Mrs. Elm is ecstatic and interprets Nora's statement as a desire to live. She shows Nora that The Book of Regrets is getting lighter, emphasizing that Nora's choices can shape her life. Mrs. Elm advises Nora to choose wisely and mentions that she may not have the same timeframe as
someone like Hugo. Nora decides to choose a life in which she plays in a band with Ravi and her brother.
Nora finds herself onstage in The Labyrinths, playing in a band to a large crowd. She is thrilled to see Ravi with her but notices a hint of distance in his voice. When Nora suggests a song they haven't played, she realizes they've already performed it. Improvising, she suggests playing "Bridge Over Troubled Water" instead.
Surrounded by a large crowd, Nora draws strength from the unity of the people in the venue.
Nora performs a song that is special to her and her brother, Joe. The crowd reacts passionately, and Nora notices a Thoreau quote tattoo on her arm.She closes her eyes and sings. After the performance, Ravi insists they play "Howl," but Nora abruptly ends the concert.
Nora receives a video call from Ryan Bailey, a famous American actor whom she had a crush on in her root life. They engage in small talk, and Nora is surprised to learn that they used to date but she ended the relationship. Ryan shares that he is seeing a therapist for his personality issues and talks about New Age spirituality. Nora takes comfort in the fact that she ended the relationship and reminds him that he once mentioned liking philosophy in an interview, to which Ryan admits it was all for show. As Nora arrives at the hotel, she is greeted by a large group of fans awaiting her signature. She reflects on her social media post that expresses the emptiness that can accompany having everything.
Nora interacts with fans, signing autographs and taking pictures. She reflects on the stark differences between the lives she has experienced. Joanna introduces her to Marcelo, the interviewer from the popular Brazilian music podcast, O Som. Nora suggests that the rest of the band should be invited to the podcast as well, but Marcelo and Joanna are only interested in interviewing Nora.
Initially hesitant, Nora starts answering Marcelo's questions with ease. Marcelo mentions that the song "Stay Out of My Life" is about Nora needing a restraining order after her ex-boyfriend Dan broke into her house. Nora becomes more candid and speaks her mind. When Marcelo highlights setbacks in Nora's life and asks why the media dislikes her, Nora shares her newfound perspective. She explains that no single life can guarantee constant happiness and that the belief in such a life only leads to more unhappiness. Marcelo interprets this as Nora projecting strength, especially through her performances of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and the song "Howl." However, Nora is shocked to learn from Marcelo that her brother Joe died from drug and alcohol abuse. She realizes that "Howl" is about her brother's death. Overwhelmed, Nora rushes back to the bar to confront Ravi about the confusion surrounding Joe. She discovers that Ravi misunderstood her question, thinking she meant Joanne, the manager. Filled with sadness, Nora disappears from this life.
This chapter presents the lyrics of thesong "Howl," which include lines such as "They want your body / They want your soul / They want fake smiles / That's rock and roll" and "Silence the music to improve the tune / Stop the fake smiles and howl at the moon."
Nora expresses her desire for the process to stop and the library starts shaking. Mrs. Elm reminds Nora about her longing to feel alive when confronted by the polar bear. The shaking stops and Mrs. Elm advises Nora to approach life like a chess game, making moves step by step and utilizing every opportunity available. She recalls a moment from her past when she jumped into a strong river to impress her brother and his friends, and Mrs. Elm brings up the idea that Nora's parents preferred her brother, which Nora admits she believed. Mrs. Elm suggests that Nora should stop seeking other people's approval and rethink her life.
Nora remembers the time she jumped into the water and couldn't move in either direction due to the strong current. Mrs. Elm reminds her that she eventually committed to one side and survived the ordeal.
Despite falling ill with hypothermia after jumping into the river, Nora made a choice and pulled herself out. Mrs. Elm brings up the idea that the lives Nora has lived so far have been someone else's dreams and suggests that she think bigger and explore her own choices. They play a game of chess, and Nora wins. Nora then asks for a life in which she chose to work at an animal shelter instead of String Theory.
Nora and Dylan walk to a Mexican restaurant for dinner and notice that String Theory is no longer in business. Nora wonders if its closure was because she wasn't there to help sell instruments.She asks Dylan if he thinks about living other lives, but he is content with the life he has because it includes dogs. Dylan briefly went to college to become a vet but had to return home due to financial constraints. He appreciates the
quiet and calm in Bedford. As they approach the restaurant, Nora sees Ash running by but realizes that he doesn't know her in this particular life.
Nora and Dylan go to La Cantina, a restaurant they visited once before with Dan. Nora recalls how Dan was rude to the waiters, which was a red flag in retrospect. She wonders why she overlooked this behavior during their relationship. Dylan, on the other hand, enjoys the vibrant atmosphere of the restaurant and has a capacity to find love even in unfavorable environments. They engage in conversations about school, dogs, and swimming. Dylan mentions that Mrs. Elm now resides in a nursing home and appears frail and old, causing Nora to worry about her.
After dinner, Nora and Dylan go to Dylan's place to watch Ryan Bailey's latest movie, Last Chance Saloon. Nora is overwhelmed by the smell of dogs since Dylan has several living with him. As they watch the movie, Nora experiences the feeling of living someone else's life and desires the version of herself who fell in love with Dylan to live this life. She reads a wine bottle label mentioning an idyllic life tending vineyards and making wine before fading away.
In this new life, Nora resides in the United States and works with her husband, Eduardo Mart?nez, in their winery called Buena Vista Vineyard. Nora finds this life easier as she mostly repeats wine facts to tourists. While Eduardo is easygoing, Nora realizes that he doesn't pay much attention to her, and they exist more like best friends. Nora wants more from life and waits for the fading away.
Nora discovers that she can experience multiple lives without having
to stay in any of them indefinitely. To remain in one life, she must believe that there is no other version of life worth experiencing. Nora lives countless lives, ranging from teaching music in Montreal to being an aid worker in Botswana, a concert pianist, and even adopting various dietary preferences. She encounters Hugo again inone of her lives but he fades away during their conversation. As Nora experiences more lives, she realizes that her desire to die was not due to meaninglessness but rather her conviction that meaninglessness was all there was in her root life. She learns to distinguish between fear and despair and begins losing a sense of her identity as she longs for a life in which she can establish roots.
Nora finds the library dark upon her return and expresses her numbness towards experiencing different versions of her life. Mrs. Elm tells her that she has become lost because she's still living for others. Nora recalls kindness as something she valued in her root life, especially from Mrs. Elm and Ash. As the lights come back on, Nora decides to experience a life in which she accepted Ash's invitation to have coffee.
Nora wakes up in a new life and realizes she is tired. She is sleeping next to a man she hopes is Ash, and it turns out to be him. She encounters a frightened little girl, who is her daughter in this life. Initially hesitant to help her due to the complexities of feelings and connections, Nora eventually accompanies her daughter to her bedroom. They have a conversation about death, and Nora feels a sense of wholesomeness in this life. She suggests playing a game with her daughter.
Nora plays a game with her daughter, Molly, where she confirms things she already knows about their lives. Through the game, Nora learns that she is a philosophy professor on sabbatical, Ash is a doctor, and they live in Cambridge. She also discovers that she and her brother Joe are close
in this life. Nora eventually falls asleep next to Molly.
Ash brings Nora a cup of coffee, and they discuss their plans for the day. Ash has surgeries to attend, while Nora will take Molly to school and then work on her book about Thoreau and environmentalism during her sabbatical. Nora admires their comfortable and luxurious home, filled with books on various intellectual subjects. She feels that this life is perfect.
In this life, Nora finds happiness and contentment with Ash and Molly. They engage in routine activities like playing at the park with Molly and cooking dinner together. However, Nora occasionally has moments of forgetfulness, such as being rude to their neighbor because she doesn't know him. Ash gently reminds her of her forgetfulness and expresses concern about it.
One night, Nora opens up to Ash about the concept of parallel universes, but he sees her as the person she currently is and not as the person she believes she truly is. Despite finding the idea of parallel universes interesting, Ash's perception is limited to the person he knows in this reality. Nora is reminded of a quote by Thoreau about how we see the world based on our own perceptions. She accepts that Ash can only see her as the person she is in this life, not fully understanding the complexities of her experiences in the Midnight Library.
Nora, Ash, and Molly visit Joe and Ewan in Hammersmith and enjoy a pleasant dinner together. Nora notices a bottle of wine from the Buena Vista Vineyard and wonders about Eduardo's happiness in this life. She learns that Joe is abstaining from alcohol and asks him if she was difficult to deal with when they were younger. Joe dismisses their past issues and apologizes for treating her badly, acknowledging the gravity of mental
health issues. Nora realizes that Joe can only understand what he is willing to understand.
Nora's forgetfulness concerns Ash, and she starts remembering previously unknown aspects of this life, such as people's names and their relationship to her as a professor. Molly falls off her tricycle, and Nora comforts her, feeling a shift within herself - love. She recognizes that her root life lacked love, and now with Molly and Ash, love influences her perspective. However, this change also makes her fear leaving this life and feeling like a fraud. In her emotional state, she decides to visit Mrs. Elm.
Nora goes to Oak Leaf Residential Care Home hoping to play chess with Mrs. Elm but discovers that Mrs. Elm passed away peacefully three weeks ago. She feels saddened and leaves the care home.
Nora walks through town and encounters Mr. Banerjee, who doesn't recognize her. She sees Kerry-Anne, the woman from the newsstand in her root life, and notices a woman with a cat in her apartment. She remembers Mrs. Elm's words about forgetting small things that can have a big impact. Nora witnesses the police arresting Leo, her former music pupil, and tries to defend him, but they inform her of his criminal record and a weapon found on him. Nora realizes that in this life, she didn't work at String Theory, which resulted in Leo not receiving music lessons as a positive outlet. She tries to convinceherself that this life is a good one as she feels the tingling sensation of fading away.
Nora passes by String Theory and notices the note in the window, realizing she wasn't there to help keep the business afloat. As she leaves
town, she starts seeing Bedford in a different light, realizing her previous perception was wrong. She regrets not being able to see Mrs. Elm before her passing. Nora confirms her liking of this life but knows deep down that she will soon leave it.
Nora is in a rush to get home and finds Ash and Molly waiting outside. She says her goodbyes to Molly, but her words are cryptic, hinting that she is about to fade away. Molly asks if she can water the flowers, and Ash tells her that the sky has already taken care of that by watering them. Nora finds comfort in the thought that another version of herself will continue to take care of Ash and Molly. As Ash begins to talk about their evening plans, Nora starts to fade away.
Nora returns to the Midnight Library and finds Mrs. Elm working at the computer. She desperately asks Mrs. Elm to send her back to the life with Ash and Molly, but they both sense that something is wrong. Mrs. Elm explains that Nora cannot return to a life she has already lived, and as she says this, the computer breaks down and the ceiling starts to crumble. Nora expresses her desire for a life like the one she just experienced, but Mrs. Elm reveals that it is no longer possible. Something is wrong in Nora's root life, and a spark ignites the books, causing a fire to engulf the library. Nora and Mrs. Elm take cover under a table, and Nora insists that the life with Ash is the one she wants, but Mrs. Elm urges her to look at her watch, indicating that time is moving forward and Nora is about to die in her root life. Mrs. Elm explains that the events happening in the Midnight Library are a result of Nora's attempt to process her life and death. To save herself, she must escape the library. Nora admits that she doesn't want to die, and Mrs. Elm tells her to find a specific book before the library collapses.
Nora rushes to find the book as instructed by Mrs. Elm, but apiece of ceiling falls on her, trapping her. She feels a sense of failure and believes she will die in the Midnight Library. However, as she contemplates her root life, she realizes that it had potential and that the people she loves, like her brother and Izzy, are alive in that life. She understands that it is up to her to make something of that potential. Encouraged by Mrs. Elm's shouts not to give up, Nora frees herself from the debris and discovers that the book she needs is the only one not on fire. With a pen provided by Mrs. Elm, she opens the blank book and writes, "I AM ALIVE." As the library crumbles and disappears, Nora's message remains.
Nora wakes up after midnight in her root life and vomits. She struggles out of bed and goes to Mr. Banerjee's house. She confesses to him that she has done something stupid and asks him to call the police before passing out. The chapter ends with a stanza about the darkening sky and shining stars.
Learned(Written By A Nobody Who Has Been Everybody) " Nora begins a new social media post with the realization that it is easy to mourn the lives we aren't living. She explains that regret can be dangerous, as people hold onto regrets without knowing how their imagined lives would turn out. The best course is to live the best life possible with what is known. Nora emphasizes that one can understand the feelings one might experience in another life without actually living it. She implores people to choose kindness and acknowledges that she felt her life was meaningless the day before, but now she realizes that life won't be free from pain or suffering. Despite that, she wants to live and experience all that life has to offer.
Joe visits Nora in the hospital, and they apologize to each other for their past unkindness. Joe reveals that he has stopped drinkingand is now going to the gym. He expresses that leaving the band and leaving life are two different things, and he needs Nora to stay alive. Later, Nora receives a text from Izzy, who shares humpback whale pictures and mentions that she is planning to move back to Bedford and misses Nora. This message, along with her conversation with Joe, reinforces Nora's belief that things can change if one waits long enough for change to occur. When Nora leaves the hospital, she and Joe take an Uber ride home. Joe talks about potentially working freelance in Hammersmith and mentions meeting a doctor named Ewan. Nora encourages Joe to pursue the freelancing opportunity and connect with Dr. Ewan Langford. When they arrive at Nora's place, Joe shows her a picture of Ewan and asks how she knew his last name. Nora dismisses it as sibling intuition and expresses gratitude to Mr. Banerjee for helping save her life. She observes his flowers and appreciates their life-affirming nature.
Nora takes stock of her belongings and appreciates the life she almost gave up on. She feels grateful for being alive and decides to embrace life on her own terms rather than living solely for others. While contemplating her next steps, Doreen, Leo's mother, calls and asks to restart Leo's music lessons. After the conversation, Nora plays music on her piano and comes across an issue of National Geographic that Joe gave her. The magazine features an article about the Krakatoa volcano. Nora draws a parallel between life and a volcano, recognizing that although volcanoes can be destructive, they also create opportunities for growth when the lava cools.
Nora visits Mrs. Elm at Oak Leaf Care Home. Mrs. Elm appears older and tired, but she is excited to see Nora again. Nora plans to visit regularly so they can play chess, which brings joy to Mrs. Elm. While playing, Nora notices Dylan and the bullmastiff outside the window. Mrs. Elm admits that her days can be lonely and sometimes feels like the game of life is over, especially because she wasn't always kind to others
before entering the care home. Nora reminds Mrs. Elm that she showed kindness to Nora when she needed it the most. Mrs. Elm expresses her gratitude to Nora but says that Nora was always special. The chapter concludes with Mrs. Elm affirmingthat one never knows how the game of life will end.