A review by ajchurch
The Loneliness Files by Athena Dixon

4.5

How to explain this book, or rate it, or even talk about it? You know when something is so heart shattering that you immediately turn to all your loved ones and go “here, I can’t explain this, you just have to feel it too”? That’s where I’m at with this book. Athena Dixon talks about loneliness and grief, connection and love, and the pain of it all with so much intricacy that I repeatedly put this book down and thought “Wow. Wow wow wow.” 

 

For example, when she said, “I am overwhelmingly lonely. And I cannot believe that doesn't matter and I will not believe there are not scores of others like me,” I realized there were scores of others like me too. 

This book is something special. It's also clear by the end that it is in some ways a memorial to her and the grief she has felt making this extremely vulnerable on top of everything else it has going on. This was really something and I am so grateful to have A.) found out about this book from Hanif Abdurraqib’s Instagram and B.) been given the opportunity to read this ARC (thanks Tin House!)