Second only to love, of all the emotional states, loneliness must be the most exhaustively explored. Untold song lyrics, melancholy poems and fictional characters, from Frankenstein to Eleanor Oliphant, have all focused on the condition. And, perhaps because of this, as a society we believe we have a handle on exactly what loneliness looks like.
When I hear the word ‘loneliness’, what comes to mind, for some reason, is a shadowy ‘old person’ sitting hunched in an armchair all day, the world passing them by; or perhaps a woman’s face, tearstained, age indeterminate, coping with a breakup. If I really stretch my imagination, I might come up with a couple of other scenarios: a student or recent graduate starting out in a new city; maybe a new parent who hasn’t yet got it together to tap into the local mums’ network…
“Sometimes, I pick up the phone to call my mother and realise, too late, she is no longer here…I don’t mention it to anyone”