A review by emilyinherhead
The Loneliness Files by Athena Dixon

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

2.5

These essays are thoughtful and well-written, but goodness, they are bleak. Despite the collection’s short length, I often struggled to pick it up and keep reading, usually opting for whatever other book I was currently working through instead. When I finally finished it I felt truly depleted, with not much hope to be found.

My loneliness is deep. It's oddly comforting because I know what to expect. It's like a light switch—sudden and complete—when it rears its head. My body starts to wind down and my mind disengages. Loneliness and isolation have been a slow build of contentment over the years before the sudden revelation of how the two are really disconnect disguised as choice. How between parents, a sibling, family, and friends is always fear that I will die alone. That no one will remember me.