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RCT Book Club: The Midnight Library

Hope you enjoyed the book. Post your thoughts on the book in the comment section. I found some discussion questions that are really just a jumping off place for a discussion.

  • Let’s start with Nora at the beginning of the novel. Nothing is going right for her and she feels her life is already full of so many regrets. Why did Nora feel this way? Why do you think she felt she had no other option but suicide?
  • As Mrs. Elm tells Nora how The Midnight Library works, she asks her, what would you have done differently, if you had the chance to redo your regrets? Have you ever thought about if you made a different choice, what your life would be like now?
  • If you somehow ended up in a place like The Midnight Library, how do you think you would handle it? Would you want to see all the different outcomes that your life could have taken?
  • Nora goes to so many different realities from marrying her ex-boyfriend to studying glaciers. Which alternate reality did you find the most interesting?
  • Every time Nora goes to one of these realities, there’s usually a lot of good but also something bad. Whether it’s her brother dying in the rock star storyline or her mother passing away alone when Nora kept going with swimming. What do you think the author was trying to say there with how each of these concepts had huge consequences?
  • Let’s now talk about Nora’s relationship with the real-life Mrs. Elm. Why was this such a significant relationship for her?
  • Throughout the novel, Nora realizes how people blamed her for their own shortcomings. And that the different realities she chose, were based on hoping for a better outcome for her loved ones. Let’s talk the significance of Nora realizing this. How did it help her move forward with her own life?
  • What did you think about the storyline where Nora marries Ash and has a daughter? Why wasn’t she able to stay in this alternate reality?
  • What were some of the key realizations that made her want to go back to her original life?
  • How will things be different for Nora going forward? What happens next for her?
  • What are some of the takeaways from Nora’s journey?
  • In your opinion, what’s truly fulfilling in life?