4 Best books to overcome loneliness
Have you ever experienced sudden bursts of loneliness wash over you like a tidal wave you’ve never seen before, and other times loneliness has slowly seeped in?
Feeling alone is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, and as an avid reader and introvert, I have learned that books are a great cure for loneliness. Whether it’s a book about lonely characters or an epic adventure that makes you forget you’re single, stories have a magical twist that makes every problem in life seem a little easier.
In moments of loneliness, isolation, doubt, or fear, opening a book can be a welcome escape to another realm. You can leave everything that worries you behind and step into the fictional world where everything goes perfectly. You simply need to use an internet connection that offers faster downloading speeds and higher bandwidth. Consider getting Cox internet, which is one of the leading ISPs in the market, with feasible prices and a variety of plans and packages.
Here are a few of the top picks that can be your companion when you experience the blues.
1. Chemistry by Weike Wang
This isn’t another mental health story where you hope the main character calls for help before it’s too late.
This novel will especially resonate with those who have ever felt that their parents will hate or even reject them if they do not follow a certain path. Or, those who feel like they need to kill their own desires to make or keep their parents happy.
This is a cautionary tale about the pressures of parents to excel in science and the burdens of an academic environment that makes a person collapse inside.
Chemistry by Veike Wang is an intimate portrait of an Asian-American storyteller at a terrifying crossroads in life.
In short, she’s getting her Ph.D. from the University of Boston, but despite years of hard work, she can’t make it.
Her boyfriend’s career in science has gone off without a hitch, and she’s under overwhelming pressure from her parents to excel in academia. Her personality develops under this pressure – what is she, if not a scientist? The pressure acts as a catalyst for the start of her impending depression, which unfolds in Chemistry.
2. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
A lonely person, a somewhat clumsy person, and one in whom loneliness and social awkwardness are intertwined. The author uses this to tell the story of how it happened to her and what happened to her after that and that became the story of Eleanor Oliphant.
The protagonist learned how to survive but not how to live.
This story is dark, funny, and ultimately sweet. Eleanor is a complex, deep, and well-developed character.
The traumatic events that happened to her, how she internalized them, and people’s reactions to them were vague and difficult to understand. However, Eleanor is a brave character, and her actions, opinions, and how she saw the world has made me laugh out loud several times throughout the story. I can’t imagine finishing this book without loving Eleanor. She is a very special character!
3. The Lido by Libby Page
Kate, the novel’s second main character, is undergoing the most transformation. She starts out as a chronically depressed, restless, and lonely young journalist and ends up leading the effort to prevent the purchase and privatization of the pool.
This goal first leads Kate to Rosemary, then makes contact with her, and then reveals Brixton to her as a place to call home. The plot is simple, as is the story of Rosemary and George’s courtship and marriage, which are told simultaneously. Rosemary’s miscarriages (they don’t have children, after all) and George’s death are barely touched upon, apparently in favor of happier sailing memories, of which there are countless.
This is a novel about loneliness, friendship, aging, love, and loss. The text flows as easily as water in a pool. The descriptions are vivid; so vivid that you can almost smell the chlorine and taste the character’s tears.
4. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The book introduces an interesting but unfortunately understandable notion of ambition; how the heroine came out of nowhere, she had to work her whole life until she got a scholarship to study and ended up in New York, and then she lost all her ambition and drive.
She can no longer write or read well (which she once loved), and this is because of how easily everything comes to her; Her characters meet all the requirements but do not fill the void that resonates within her.
The novel also deals with the role of women in society (the expectations that are placed on them, the notions that society dictates to us that women should prioritize things like marriage and children, all of which Esther seems to hate as the novel progresses), with a young woman’s exploration of her sexuality.
Materialism is also a theme that attracts Plath, thanks to the interesting idea of how Esther’s character could so easily give up everything: clothes, lifestyle, and money.
This book represents women in society clearly and portrays the sad truth of mental illness.
Wrapping it up
Reading can provide comfort and fellowship in difficult times. Whether you’re looking for advice or trying to escape your thoughts, you’ll find comfort in our roundup of the best books on loneliness.