The main character of the novel The Midnight Library is mired in thoughts about all the alternative paths she could have taken to escape her current dissatisfaction with life. Suddenly, she discovers a mystical library, where she will find out the answers to all the what-if questions, traveling through dozens of destinies that she could have had. If you like uplifting stories about self-discovery, take a closer look at the books from this list.
1. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
In this book, the magical place is a basement café in Tokyo. Here, instead of presenting options for the present, magic allows people to revisit their past. Many want to return in time — some wish to reunite with lost loved ones, others hope to relive the best moment of their life. Among them is our main character, who craves to fix past mistakes. However, contrary to the laws of stories in this genre, the intervention in the past does not guarantee a brighter present, no matter how much one wishes to correct their errors.
2. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Claire met Henry when she was six and he was forty. Conversely, Henry encountered Claire when he was twenty-eight and she was twenty. Nonsense, at first glance. But everything is possible when the ability to time-travel intervenes in the plot. However, in this book, it is rather not a gift but a curse. Henry cannot control his uncontrollable jumping, periodically falling into different years of the future and the past. Together with Claire, they are trying to build their marriage, but it is not so easy in such conditions.
3. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
For fans of epistolary prose, this book will become a pleasure. The authors of the letters are completely different people, so you will not get bored with the writing style. In the center of our story is an extraordinary family — a genius father working at Microsoft, a teenage daughter who dreams about a family trip to Antarctica for Christmas, and a mother Bernadette, whose unpredictable thoughts often seem illogical. What is going on in her mind? And where did she vanish two days before the family cruise?
4. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
The protagonist, Ursula, knows death intimately because she has experienced it countless times for various reasons. But she also understands life’s value because when fate gives you another chance, it’s essential to seize it fully. Ursula boldly moves through life, making decisions that can either kill her again or propel her toward personal growth. Ursula teaches us that the smallest details of our today can completely reshape our tomorrow.
5. Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
Life is inherently unpredictable, and even if you believe you have a completely clear vision of your future in ten, twenty, or thirty years, most likely, you are wrong. Una, the main character, learns this lesson when she falls asleep on the night of her 20th birthday and wakes up being 51 years old in an unfamiliar house beside an unknown man. The peculiarities do not end there, and every year, Una is transferred to a random age of her existence. The only thing that helps her get a handle on things is the letters she left for herself. Una will face many surprises — some delightful and others challenging — but it will also help her to know herself better.
6. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Eddie, an elderly amusement park employee, dies trying to save a young girl. But his death is only the beginning of the story. Eddie finds himself in heaven, where five individuals await him — each having played a significant role in shaping his life. Through Eddie’s reflections, the reader learns about all the ups and downs of a tumultuous childhood, adolescence in the army, and the happiest marriage moments with his wife. This book makes you contemplate your life and reflect on who the five awaiting you at the gates of heaven are.
7. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Each of us knows our own Ove — a grumpy old man, offended by the whole world, who doesn’t want to deal with anyone. Many people like him struggle to accept kindness without responding with anger. But Backman's main character gets his second chance. His new neighbors are a young family who will dispel the darkness that settled in the old man's heart after the loss of his wife. The book is written in an easy and accessible way, and this style only helps to better reveal serious social themes of loneliness and depression.
8. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Stories within stories, a book about books. Zachary, a typical student, stumbles upon a book brimming with fantastic stories where the Moon, Time, and Death are real characters. But suddenly, he discovers something familiar — a story about himself! The author crafts a unique, multifaceted world that captivates readers with its enchanting fairy-tale atmosphere.
9. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
This book also delves into time travel but offers a fresh perspective. The main characters here are agents whose task is to change the timeline for the benefit of their organization. They do not see each other because they belong to rival factions. Communicating solely through letters, they open up and become closer. The world is dying while two warring clans are tearing it to pieces. But, perhaps the feelings that flare up between two agents will change the course of history.
10. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
The schoolchildren in this book do not know that their teacher, Tom, who looks completely ordinary, has lived for hundreds of years. Due to a rare feature of his body, he outlived many generations, performing with Shakespeare and acquainting with F. Scott. Now, Tom wants to live an unremarkable and quiet life, completely devoting himself to his work as a teacher. And so it was until he fell for the French teacher he worked with. This budding romance defies the rules set by The Comradeship that monitors his every move.
The books from this selection raise timeless questions we often overlook amidst our fast-paced lives. They invite you to immerse yourself in vital experiences and make you pause and reflect on who you truly are and what you seek from life. These stories inspire you not to fear the future and to live with a heart open to experience. They help us think about Time, which often holds more power over us than we do over it.
