A review by frogwithlittlehammer
The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing

informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

I would not have picked up a book on art history if not for the mention of Edward Hopper. So I enjoyed his chapter the most, but I ended up learning a lot about the other artists as well, and I especially found the work of Henry Darger moving. Otherwise, while The Lonely City is technically well written and offers good information, I found it rather boring and poorly presented/paced. At least if I’ve learned anything from reading the book though, it’s that I’m not lonely, at least not in the way that Laing experiences. 

She defines loneliness primarily as the idea that you’re someone who exists on the margins, seen as an outcast and therefore unwelcome, maybe even repulsive. A “lonely” person is someone who desires intimacy and closeness but can’t attain this with anyone because of their rejection from society. Laing even brings up speech as a large conduit of loneliness. “The idea that language is a game at which some players are more skilled than others has a bearing on the vexed relationship between loneliness and speech.” In this way, sure, I’ve never undergone like, ostracization, because fortunately I’ve always been good at talking to people. I still disagree with Laing’s definition though. The cure for loneliness is not acceptance into society, but rather it’s the symptom of society. There is no greater affliction that harbors such fervent want, and like bell Hooks says, “Keeping people in a constant state of lack, in perpetual desire, strengthens the marketplace economy. Lovelessness is a boon to consumerism.”

I kind of rolled my eyes at the ending of the book, about being open and kind and rejecting social stigmas, as if loneliness is something we can combat personally. Though I did like that she makes a point to talk about accepting periods of being lonely rather than frantically seeking to mask and resolve the shame associated with feeling that way. So yeah, a bit too all over the place yet slow for my liking, but rather good for its art commentary.