
Mehreen Arshi is a Pakistani-born, Australia-raised writer, researcher, and reader based in Canberra. After fifteen years in scientific research and writing, she turned to fiction to explore family, identity, belonging, cultural expectation, and the private desires that shape a life.

She is the author of *I carry your heart*, a family romance set between Pakistan, Australia, and London. Her second novel, currently in progress, follows the long shadow of the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan.


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Pakistani-born, Australia-raised writer based in Canberra.

Mehreen Arshi


What if you were unhappy with your life and were given a second chance? Or a third? And another after that? What if you had the opportunity to undo all of your life’s regrets, big and small? Where does one finally draw the line and say, “Yes, I am content”?

What does it take to live a happy life? For some, it is fame; for others, health, wealth, knowledge, children, or adventure. None of these aspirations come into play without perspective, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” In a nutshell, this is the message conveyed in The Midnight Library by English author Matt Haig.

The protagonist, Nora Seed, has seemingly grown up in the shadow of her brother, striving and failing to live up to her father’s expectations. She is hopeless in love and directionless in her career, despite once aspiring to be a musician, a glaciologist, a swimming champion, or a professor. Drowning in despair, she overdoses in an attempt to end what feels like an unbearable existence and instead finds herself in limbo; the Midnight Library. Guided by her old school librarian, she navigates the alternate paths her life could have taken, undoing regrets one by one.

This is a simple read, as is its message, though simplicity does not lessen its impact. The book compels us to re-evaluate what truly matters. We are so consumed with achieving greatness, with being the best, that we often overlook what is already in front of us, the small, quiet details that bring meaning to our lives. We forget to live.

Often, we only recognise the value of simple things when they are on the verge of being taken away, or when mortality stares us in the face. When the end feels near, it becomes painfully clear that happiness lies not in chasing what we lack, but in shaping and appreciating what we already have. Nora’s journeys reveal that every choice creates a chain reaction of endless possibilities, yet there is no such thing as a perfect life. In her persistent search for validation and love, she repeatedly learns that hope and love are life’s true driving forces. But love does not necessarily begin with companionship; it begins within. If you cannot value yourself, you cannot expect others to see worth in you that you refuse to acknowledge.

The novel is written in an uncomplicated, accessible style. There are no dense metaphors or elaborate literary devices to elevate the prose. Just as the author advocates for the simple things in life, he conveys his message in straightforward language. It is quietly thought-provoking. As the book suggests, “You do not have to understand life; you just have to live it.”


The Midnight Library

A reflective journey of a woman exploring alternate lives, emphasising self-love, appreciation of simple joys, and understanding that perfection is a myth.