Matt Haig on ‘The Midnight Library,’ Mental Illness and Winnie-the-Pooh

Matt Haig was already several books into his career as a writer by the time he published “The Midnight Library” in 2020. One of those books, the 2015 memoir “Reasons to Stay Alive,” had even been a best seller in England, his home nation. Yet, “The Midnight Library” was a true breakout phenomenon. The novel, about a depressed woman who, after deciding to end her own life, ends up in a magical library in which every book presents her with an alternative life, eventually sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

The author’s new book, “The Midnight Train,” takes place on a parallel track. In it, an older man dies and finds himself on a train, able to revisit key moments in his life on his way to the hereafter. Like its blockbuster sibling, the book is concerned with questions of gratitude, regret and perspective.

Haig joined the “Book Review” podcast and spoke to the host, Gilbert Cruz, about his new book and why he returned to the world of “The Midnight Library.”

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.

Books Discussed on This Episode

• “The Midnight Library,” by Matt Haig
• “Reasons to Stay Alive,” by Matt Haig
• “The Labrador Pact,” by Matt Haig
• “Winnie-the-Pooh,” by A. A. Milne
• “The House at Pooh Corner,” by A. A. Milne
• “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” Lewis Carroll
• “The Outsiders,” by S. E. Hinton
• “Walden,” by Henry David Thoreau
• “Paris Trance,” by Jeff Dyer
• “Invisible Cities,” by Italo Calvino
• “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,” by V. E. Schwab
• “The History of Love,” by Nicole Krauss
• “We Burned So Bright,” by T. J. Klune
• “A Novel Love Story,” by Ashley Poston
• “The Someday Garden,” by Ashley Poston

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Credits

The “Book Review” podcast is hosted by Gilbert Cruz and produced by Sarah Diamond, Amy Pearl, and Patricia Sulbarán. The show is edited by Larissa Anderson and mixed by Pedro Rosado.

Special thanks to MJ Franklin, Dahlia Haddad, and Brooke Minters.

Illustration by The New York Times; Photo: Andrew Testa for The New York Times

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