Book Review: The Midnight Train by Matt Haig

Wilbur, an eighty-one-year-old man lives alone in a big sprawling house. When he collapses his gardener finds him but is too late to revive him.

Wilbur finds himself on the Midnight Train where he is given the chance to travel through his life reflecting on his regrets notably his true love with Maggie who left him more than twenty years earlier.

I’d read Midnight Library based on a similar idea where a woman is given a chance to do the things she had most regretted not doing. I’d enjoyed that one but this one didn’t leave me with the same excitement. Wilbur travels on the train and gets off during various scenes of his life. He can only observe but not intervene although he is very tempted to because he can see where things for awry for him. He was a selfish and self centered man during his life reminding me a little of Scrooge.

I did hope for more from this one but I simply could not feel much of a connection to the characters especially Wilbur. I didn’t care about his regrets or the events of his life. It just wasn’t that interesting. I was wishing for the end and thankful that it wasn’t a long book.

It might be a little harsh perhaps, but it wasn’t for me.

4 thoughts on “Book Review: The Midnight Train by Matt Haig

  1. Marsha's avatarMarsha

    Thanks for this review. It confirmed to me that this book needn’t be on my to-read list. It hadn’t been there so I was interested in your comments. I appreciate your reviews very much and I especially appreciate reviews that aren’t positive. Such reviews usually don’t show up, it seems, like scientific papers that don’t get published about lack of a positive finding. But both are or would be useful!

    I write a literature blog http://www.Marshareads.com. I comment on books I read. I don’t call myself a reviewer but rather a commenter. I admit to not having many negative comments, primarily because if I’m that unimpressed with a book I just stop reading it—unless it’s for a book club discussion. Sometimes a book discussion can turn around my thinking which is a reason to be a member of a good book club.

    Feel free to take a look at my website when you need a break from your work and comment back. I would be honored to hear from you.

    Happy Reading and Writing,

    Marsha Oenick http://www.Marshareads.com

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