The Midnight Library

by Matt Haig

A person was like a city. You couldn’t let a few less desirable parts put you off the whole. There may be bits you don’t like, a few dodgy side streets and suburbs, but the good stuff makes it worthwhile.

‘So, you see? Sometimes regrets aren’t based on fact at all. Sometimes regrets are just . . .’ She searched for the appropriate term and found it. ‘A load of bullshit.’

Nora wanted to live in a world where no cruelty existed, but the only worlds she had available to her were worlds with humans in them.

Nora had always imagined she liked the smell of dog, but she suddenly realised there was a limit to this fondness.