The Midnight Train: A Novel (The Midnight World)
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“Matt Haig returns with another life-affirming novel . . . If you enjoy the “Midnight” experience, climb aboard.” —The New York Times Book Review
When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop?
No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there.
The chance to re-live the moments that meant most.
To see what kind of person you really were.
For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice.
Before he gave it all away.
He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything . . .
A magical, time-travelling love story, from the world of The Midnight Library.
“Matt Haig returns with another life-affirming novel . . . If you enjoy the “Midnight” experience, climb aboard.” —The New York Times Book Review
When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop?
No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there.
The chance to re-live the moments that meant most.
To see what kind of person you really were.
For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice.
Before he gave it all away.
He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything . . .
A magical, time-travelling love story, from the world of The Midnight Library.
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Community Reviews
This felt like someone took A Christmas Carol, removed the ghosts, the urgency, and most of the personality, then stretched it across an emotionally delayed train schedule.
The premise sounded incredible: a magical midnight train that lets you revisit the moments that shaped your life? Amazing. Existential. Potentially devastating in the best way. Instead, I got a slow-moving ride through regret with all the excitement of waiting at the DMV.
Wilbur spends the book reflecting on his past, his marriage, and the choices he made, except the execution felt like being trapped in a very long therapy session I didn’t agree to pay for.
I kept waiting for some emotional gut punch or mind-bending revelation, but the story just kind of politely wandered around the tracks.
There were moments where Matt Haig’s signature warmth and introspection peeked through, and I can absolutely see this working for readers who love quiet, reflective stories. Unfortunately, I needed more plot and less “sad man thinks about things for 300 pages.”
And listen, I love an emotional story. I voluntarily read books designed to emotionally ruin me for fun. But this one somehow managed to be both sentimental and painfully dull at the same time. That’s honestly kind of impressive.
Also, if you mention Venice enough times, I start expecting something dramatic to happen. A scandal. A murder. Someone falling into a canal. Anything.
In the end, this wasn’t a terrible book. It just felt like a very long inspirational quote riding public transportation.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Viking for this review copy.
The premise sounded incredible: a magical midnight train that lets you revisit the moments that shaped your life? Amazing. Existential. Potentially devastating in the best way. Instead, I got a slow-moving ride through regret with all the excitement of waiting at the DMV.
Wilbur spends the book reflecting on his past, his marriage, and the choices he made, except the execution felt like being trapped in a very long therapy session I didn’t agree to pay for.
I kept waiting for some emotional gut punch or mind-bending revelation, but the story just kind of politely wandered around the tracks.
There were moments where Matt Haig’s signature warmth and introspection peeked through, and I can absolutely see this working for readers who love quiet, reflective stories. Unfortunately, I needed more plot and less “sad man thinks about things for 300 pages.”
And listen, I love an emotional story. I voluntarily read books designed to emotionally ruin me for fun. But this one somehow managed to be both sentimental and painfully dull at the same time. That’s honestly kind of impressive.
Also, if you mention Venice enough times, I start expecting something dramatic to happen. A scandal. A murder. Someone falling into a canal. Anything.
In the end, this wasn’t a terrible book. It just felt like a very long inspirational quote riding public transportation.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Viking for this review copy.
A very interesting reflection of death and second chances. I like this take on life flashing before your eyes. It was thoughtful without being too heavy. Haig has been hit or miss with me since TML, but this was definitely a big hit. 4⭐️ Book #41 in 2026
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