Loneliness & Company is a timely, beautifully observed debut novel set in near future New York about a young woman who finds herself tangled in a secret government project combating loneliness.
★ 2024 Indie Next Pick ★ A 2024 Most Anticipated by Debutiful ★
“Tender and hopeful… this story glimmers with humor, empathy, and profound insights.”
—Gina Chung, author of SEA CHANGE and GREEN FROG
“Literary fiction for the concerned citizen who can’t put her phone down…” —The New Yorker
“A sharply etched and strangely propulsive story about artificial intelligence and authentic feeling.” ―Leslie Jamison, New York Times bestselling author of THE EMPATHY EXAMS and SPLINTERS
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Praise for Loneliness & Company
“Inventive . . . Dyroff nails the ways in which single-minded ambition can obscure opportunities for connection. This brims with clear insight and unsettling visions of the world to come.” ―Publishers Weekly
“Dyroff is beyond imaginative, specifically so in building a world that's just close enough to present reality. Perfect for fans of Dave Eggers' The Circle.” ―Booklist
“Charlee Dyroff's Loneliness & Company is a sharply etched and strangely propulsive story about artificial intelligence and authentic feeling: a canny, tender exploration of the stories we tell about our bonds with each other, and the realities we'd rather not face about our bonds with the technologies that shape our days.” ―Leslie Jamison, New York Times bestselling author of THE EMPATHY EXAMS and SPLINTERS
“Loneliness & Company is a stunning novel, full of lyricism, brilliance, and quiet integrity, boldly tackling the most complex philosophical ideas… I’ll be thinking about this novel for a long time.” — Lara Vapnyar, author of DIVIDE ME BY ZERO
“Naturally intelligent. An inventive, timely, and perceptive story about human connection and being alive.” —Emily Austin, author of EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD
“In Dyroff’s deeply original novel, it is possible to see the future. Loneliness & Company invites us into a techno laden world that is not so far from our own. A riveting and unforgettable story of ambition that also reminds us how essential friendship is.” — Wendy S. Walters, author of MULTIPLY/DIVIDE
“With her debut, Dyroff has pulled off a truly impressive feat — writing a story about loneliness that isn't so much a cautionary tale, but a tender, heartfelt reminder to value your time on Earth and the people that make your days more than just a sunrise and a sunset. A new and talented writer to watch." — Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of PIZZA GIRL
“I was hooked from the start, and marveled at the poignancy of watching Lee relearn the basics of friendship for the sake of an AI program. Dyroff's brilliant story will make you want to hold all your real-friends closer.” —Jessica Francis Kane, author of RULES FOR VISITING
“Tender and hopeful, Dyroff's story glimmers with humor, empathy, and profound insights into the inner workings of the human heart and psyche. Her vision is utterly singular, captivating, and full of heart, reminding us of the incalculable intimacies of being alive. Reading this book felt like catching up with an old friend, or meeting a new one.” —Gina Chung, author of SEA CHANGE and GREEN FROG
“This book is funny, tender, strange, and modern. Dyroff has written a bildungsroman for the robot set, a profound look at human curiosity and longing in a finely wrought near-future New York. Loneliness & Company resonates and pops; it infiltrated my dreams.” —Kate Greene, author of ONCE UPON A TIME I LIVED ON MARS
“If one use for literature is to make us feel less alone, then the author has succeeded brilliantly with Loneliness & Company. This is a tender, visionary, wide-hearted book that offers itself as a course corrective to our hyper-quantified, algorithm-craven age.” —Hermione Hoby, author of VIRTUE
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