For the past two weeks, it seems like we are living in a dystopian world, where suddenly all the balance of our lives has gone astray. In the wake of constant Coronavirus updates, distance from your loved ones, and the anxiety of what will come next, will surely make us go crazy.
We understand that isolation can be hard, but what is even more frustrating is not knowing enough about it. Because let’s face it, we haven’t really experienced this before. So, here are a couple of books that will help you understand the world of isolation better.
1. Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans
Bored of humanity Jean Des Esseintes retires to an artificial paradise of his own home outside Paris. In his temple of decadent whims, his only companions are his books, some mechanical fish in the dyed water, and a golden, jewel-encrusted tortoise. This artificial isolation ends up transforming his body and how.
2. Positive Solitude: A Practical Program for Self-Fulfillment, by Rae Andre
It is in the nature of loneliness to make us feel sad, but what’s important is that we master the skill of being happy alone. In Positive Solitude, Andre traces how our generation is experiencing a loss of community and why our relationships feel empty. The book also offers the readers some practical advice to find happiness while alone.
3. Wittgenstein’s Mistress by David Markson
Not really a novel, but more of mere scattered sentences weaved together to form beautiful prose. Kate is certain that she is the last human left on the planet. As the last human, she reverses Eve’s journey as she takes the readers on a journey of western history, from Odysseus to Marlon Brando.
4. The Last Man by Mary Shelley
Literally, the last man, the only survivor of a deadly plague, is wandering around Rome reminiscing both his and his city’s life. A rather melodramatic plot that for the first time will add to the story. A text that remains profoundly relevant today.
5. And She Lived Happily Ever After: Finding Fulfillment as a Single Woman by Skip McDonald
There is a lot of taboo about being a single woman, especially after you hit a specific age. McDonald’s book is the perfect book to read for finding fulfilment for a woman even without marriage. By sharing personal anecdotes and insights, the book does feel like it talking to you directly.
6. The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Perkins Gilman in “The Yellow Wall-Paper”, gives the most accurate yet disturbing portrayal of domestic seclusion. The chief protagonist has been put under house arrest by her own husband and that too for her own good. This isolation makes her delusional to a point where she breaks free, literally.
7. Celebrating Time Alone: Stories of Splendid Solitude by Lionel Fisher
Lionel Fisher spent six whole years alone on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest! In Celebrating Time Alone shares his personal story of how he dealt with loneliness and converted it into splendid solitude.
Now that we have given you a handy list of books to read, go download them on your Kindle right away and get reading!