This Guardian audiobook review covers The Midnight Train, Matt Haig's latest novel following his non-fiction bestseller Reasons to Stay Alive, narrated by actor James Norton. The story follows Wilbur Budd, an elderly former business magnate, who dies of a heart attack shortly after an unexpected phone call from his estranged ex-wife, Maggie, and then finds himself on an otherworldly train platform reviewing his past life. The review matters as a guide for readers choosing their next audiobook, highlighting a well-known author's new work alongside a respected narrator's performance.

Guided by Agnes, the ghost of a childhood bookseller, Wilbur revisits pivotal moments including his brother's early death and his honeymoon with Maggie in Venice, in a narrative the reviewer likens to Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Despite its themes of death and the afterlife, the tale is described as cosy and feelgood, with Norton's narration bringing softness and gentle longing to Wilbur's reflections on regret. The audiobook, published by Canongate, runs 8 hours and 36 minutes, and the piece also recommends two further listens: Christina Applegate's memoir You With the Sad Eyes and Eleanor Catton's eco-thriller Birnam Wood.