British · b. 1975
Matt Haig writes about depression with the authority of someone who nearly died from it. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive (2015) documented his breakdown at twenty-four and his slow recovery; it became a bestseller and established him as a voice for mental health awareness. The Midnight Library (2020) translated these concerns into fiction: a woman on the edge of suicide discovers a library where she can try out the lives she might have lived. The novel became a massive international bestseller and a GMA Book Club pick. Haig has written prolifically across genres—children's books, adult fiction, nonfiction—but his breakthrough came from combining high-concept premises with genuine emotional vulnerability. His social media presence is large and sometimes controversial; he engages passionately with debates about publishing and mental health. He lives in Brighton, England, with his family.