The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells
Publisher: Penguin Books
Release Date: January 29, 2019
Length: 272 pages
Amazon

{A Bit of Backstory}

Single Sentence Summary

A simply beautiful story of one man’s lifetime journey in and out of loneliness, and the redemptive power of love.

From the Publisher

 “A kaleidoscopic family saga told through the fractured lives of the three Moreau siblings, alongside a faltering, recovering love story, The End of Loneliness is a stunning meditation on the power of our memories, of what can be lost and what can never be let go. With inimitable compassion and luminous, affecting prose, Benedict Wells contends with what it means to find a way through life, while never giving up hope you will find someone to go with you”.

The Draw

• International author I’ve not read.
• Story of siblings who lose parents while young.
• A man struggling to find his way through grief.

{My Thoughts}

What Worked For Me

The Story’s Structure – The End of Loneliness begins near the end of Jules Moreau’s story with a violent accident that leaves him hospitalized. From there his story moves back more than 30 years, to his childhood and the loss of his parents at only 10-years old. Jules and his two older siblings, Liz and Marty, are sent to boarding school where everything about Jules’ already shattered life changes. Being younger, he’s in a different building than his brother and sister, lonely and sad. The three grow up in this school, each in their own way just trying to survive, but in doing so they lose sight of each other. The loneliness is pervasive, until Jules makes a friend in Alva, a day student at his school who, like Jules, has a dark past she’d rather not share. Alva becomes his salvation and his despair.

The Writing – The End of Loneliness received the Europe Union Prize for Literature in 2016, but in the U.S. it’s a book in translation (from German) and sometimes in translation a little something gets lost. Not here! Benedict’s writing was gorgeous, getting to the very heart of so many different emotions, making it pure pleasure to read.

“The fact that I was on a planet hurtling through space at a phenomenal speed seemed just as terrifying to me as the new, disturbing thought that death was inevitable. My fears grew like a crack slowly spreading in all directions. I began to be afraid of the dark, of death, of eternity. These thoughts drove my world, and the more often I contemplated them, the bigger the gulf between me and my often carefree, cheerful fellow students. I was alone.”

Love – I’m not a fan of traditional love stories, but there is nothing traditional about The End of Loneliness. And yet, it is a love story, a story of love in all its many forms. Benedict covers a child’s love for his parents, the love between a man and a woman, a father’s love for his children, and the love between siblings which for me was the best of his love stories. I don’t want to give anything away, but I found the shifting sibling dynamics to be so real in their sadness, frustrations, commitment, and love.

“Every day I waited for a sign from Liz, for a letter of explanation, a card or a call. Like a castaway tirelessly turning the dials of a wireless, hoping finally to chance upon a voice. But all I heard from my sister was years and years of static.”

What Didn’t

A Bit Dramatic – There were a couple of scenes in the book that some might find a little overly dramatic, though in truth they didn’t really bother me. This was one of those lovely books where most everything worked.

{The Final Assessment}

I found The End of Loneliness to be well worth the accolades it has garnered. Calling something “nice” doesn’t always feel like much of a compliment, but in the best possible sense this was a nice book. It covered family, love, loneliness, growth, change and redemption all in a beautifully told story of one man’s life. I encourage everyone to pick up a copy of The End of Loneliness. You’ll be glad you did. Grade: A-

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:

• The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett – A love story told in three different versions. (my review)
• Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller – A missing mother, a cheating father, a daughter’s confusion. (my review)

Note: I received a copy of this book from Penguin Press (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

Disclosure: There are Amazon Associate links included within this post.