The beautiful thing about Claire Alexander’s novel is that it doesn’t concentrate on the awful event that caused Meredith to withdraw into herself. The central question throughout much of the book is, what made Meredith – a woman who led an active life within society and had never previously had reclusive tendencies – suddenly unable to leave the house one day? As the story progresses, a traumatic catalyst moment does materialise but it also becomes clear that Meredith’s breakdown had been building up since childhood. Venturing back to the nineties and noughties, the novel explores Meredith’s past, present and potential future.

Meredith, Alone might have been written almost entirely pre-pandemic but the fact that we’ve all suffered isolation and stagnation over the last two years makes Meredith’s story even more pertinent and understandable. And now she somewhat reluctantly has Tom, a kindly man from a befriending charity who’s determined to help Meredith rediscover her bravery and reconnect with the world. She has the reliable Tesco delivery man and her online support group of other people struggling with their own problems and fears. She has her beloved cat Fred, a constant companion who never lets her down, and her best friend Sadie, who has stuck by Meredith through everything. Meredith hasn’t left her house for 1,214 days.

This strange sense of reclusiveness wasn’t a choice but a necessity, yet in many ways it reflects the life of Meredith Maggs – the protagonist of Claire Alexander’s poignant and hopeful debut Meredith, Alone. And beyond that, how difficult it’s been for some people to re-enter society after such a long time of seclusion. We know what it’s like to not be able to travel or socialise, to go out to work or do all the things that usually fill and enrich our lives. Over the last couple of years, we’ve all experienced being stuck within the confines of our own homes.

Meredith alone by claire alexander