All the Lonely People - Books with Solitary Protagonists

Books with lonely, solitary protagonists are wonderfully revealing because we're allowed a special glimpse into something that is normally closed off to us. Social, ebullient people leave us in no doubt of what they're thinking and feeling. But the rich, vibrant depth of a lonely person's life is not on display. So as well as offering insight into how loners may tick, this list is intended to extend the balm of friendship to those of us who have ever found ourselves in their situation. I hope my suggestions may even form the basis of a great pile to read back to back for a solitary retreat. I can guarantee you'd find these protagonists most interesting company.

1) Aaliya
This senior lady perseveres year after year with one of the most brainy, yet futile hobbies you can imagine. Each year she translates a great work of literature or philosophy into Arabic, her own native tongue. Aliyah knows it's pointless trying to interest publishers in a project whose market would be minimal. The painstaking treasures go straight into her drawer and never see the light of day. This makes her a great example of somebody for whom the satisfaction of the pursuit is its own reward. She's a bit cantankerous, but her non-impact is very impacting to me. (See my review of An Unnecessary Woman)

2) Stevens
He's a polished professional who has poured every ounce of effort and energy into becoming  what he considers an icon - the quintessential British butler. But he has nothing of himself left over for anything else. Stevens is pretty old before it dawns on him that his personal life has suffered as a result of his all-consuming pride. He learns to his cost as he edges closer to retirement that being the perfect butler leaves no time to become anyone's beloved friend or companion. (See my review of The Remains of the Day)

3) Lucy Snowe
Whoa, what a gal! She has enough passion and strong convictions to fill the Pacific Ocean, and tries almost successfully to contain it all within her own small frame. For Lucy considers herself a plain and penniless orphan whose wisest course is not to interact with others but focus on making her own quiet way in the world. To her fellow characters in Villette, she's an eccentric, prim little oddity. To us readers, she's one of the most restrained, repressed, passive and self-controlled characters to be found within a book's pages. (See my review of Villette)

4) Frankenstein's monster
His is a tragic tale of a curious, exploratory nature turned vengeful and dangerous because of the prejudiced terror with which he's treated, and the unbearable loneliness it creates in him. This smart and emotional fellow has observed the sweetness of human bonding, and would like nothing more than to be anybody's dear friend. When he learns that he repulses people because of his horrific looks, he turns his energy into revenge against his creator, Victor Frankenstein, and Victor's whole family. It's a candid study of human loneliness and alienation at it bleakest. (See my review of Frankenstein)

5) Fanny Price
This girl is one of literature's most celebrated introverts, courtesy of Jane Austen. Shy and diffident by nature, her retiring personality is strengthened even more by being the poor relation in a household of wealthy relatives who make it clear she's their charity case. When bossy, demanding, self-appointed rescuers are breathing down your neck, your self-expression is pretty effectively paralysed. Your teeming thoughts must remain enclosed in your own headspace. Yet this story shows what it takes to cause nervous, obliging Fanny to dig in her heels and stand up for herself. (See my review of Mansfield Park)

6) Jakop Jakopsen
This guy is a more obscure example but a perfect case of what a lonely person may resort to. He attends the funerals of strangers, just to bask in the atmosphere of family togetherness for the duration. Jakop has never known anything like this himself, having been the only child of a preoccupied single mother and bullied by his peers at school. He comes to funerals with made-up tales of how he knew the dear departed. Jakop knows he risks exposure as a fraud but considers it worthwhile for the warm, brief encounters that set him up until the next one. (See my review of An Unreliable Man)

7) Eleanor Oliphant
This young woman has become one of the general public's favourite lonely oddballs of recent times. Crowds of readers have taken blunt, abrasive Eleanor to their hearts, proving that the plight of lonely people must strike a chord with us all. She's revealed as a battler who has survived some shocking events which helped form her into a sharp observer who stands on the periphery of others' lives. This book seems to have become a clarion call to reach out to the people who may be easiest to sweep straight past. (See my review of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine)

I suspect loneliness will always be a problem, because self-absorbed human nature doesn't tend to notice the quiet person watching from corners. Yet book characters help soften the blow. They have the potential to be counted among our friends in a deeper, different way than the flesh and blood people we knock shoulders with. And they are true allies in our quest to avoid being completely drowned in a tidal wave of loneliness. Sometimes the deep and non-threatening evidence that others have shared our exact plight is all we need to square our shoulders, tilt our chins and plug on. 

Are any of these familiar to you? And can you suggest any others who may fit well as another friend on this particular list?