Meredith, Alone
Grand Central Publishing
November 1, 2022
Hardcover
368
Purchased
Meredith Maggs hasn't left her house in 1,214 days. But she insists she isn't alone. She has a full-time remote job and her rescue cat Fred. Her best friend Sadie visits with her two children. There's her online support group, her jigsaw puzzles and favorite recipes, her beloved Emily Dickinson, the internet, the grocery delivery man. Also keeping her company are treacherous memories of an unstable childhood, the estrangement from her sister, and a traumatic event that had sent her reeling. But something's about to change. Whether Meredith likes it or not, the world is coming to her door. Does she have the courage to overcome what's been keeping her inside all this time?
My review:
When a download of this audiobook was given to me I decided to take a chance, even though I hadn't read too much about it. I'm so glad that I did since this ended up being my last 5 star read of 2022! All I could think while reading was that it reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant, also a book that I loved. I think the other thing that bonded me to Meredith was that she really didn't mind not having left her home in almost three years. I was literally that person during the pandemic! Just to be clear, this book is not set during the pandemic (some people still don't want to read books set in that time), but as the book plays out the reader sees just what has caused Meredith to want to remain in her home. I loved how the main character was so normal in her everyday pursuits, and how the author starts slowly peeling back her past so we see a completer picture of the character. The supporting characters were all wonderful, and kudos to the author for not giving me the schmaltzy romance ending that I feared was coming.
I loved the character of Meredith, and the supporting cast who are there for her no matter whether she socializes with them outside of her home. A great representation of a different form of mental health that we don't often read about. I would love to hear about Meredith's life after the book ends, and that's when you know a character will stay with you.
