The Loneliness Files

Praise for The Loneliness Files

Vulnerable . . . .An essential exploration of the isolation inherent in our era of virtual hyperconnection [that] also asks how we can find our way back to one another.
— New York Times Book Review

An indelible portrait of contemporary isolation that soothes and slices with the same steady hand.
— Publishers Weekly

The rare exploration of internet existence that sounds like it has something urgent to say.
— The Millions, A Most Anticipated Book of 2023

Thought-provoking. . . . What makes The Loneliness Files an engrossing, often astonishing read is the author’s admirable candor. By excavating her discomfort and divulging her most vulnerable longing, Dixon generates a higher, rarer level of connection with the reader—and that seems a powerful legacy.


— Chicago Review of Books

With a sharp attention to language befitting her background as a poet, she brings the reader deep into her life’s experiences.
— Electric Literature

Captivating.
— Shondaland

With lyrical, memorable prose, Dixon cracks open the fear of not being remembered. . . . Her story is not only relatable, but significant, as she creates a sense of comfort for anyone who feels a little lonely sometimes. An honest and captivating investigation into human connection within an increasingly digital world.
— Kirkus Reviews

Vulnerable, visceral. . . . Reflective yet urgent, reverberating with feeling. Dixon beautifully articulates how loneliness is paradoxically a narrative that people experience together.
— Library Journal, Starred Review

Moving and lyrical.
— Booklist

Brilliantly honest and beautifully written.
— WBUR

Brilliant, unique. . . . An engaging blend of lyrical prose, pop culture references, journal entries, research spirals, and authentic inquiry.
— BOMB Magazine

A stunning expose on loneliness, internet life, and aging. Dixon beautifully examines who we are and what we desire through the lens of her life. Dixon’s writing is jaw-droppingly good.
— Debutiful, A Best Book of November

Profoundly powerful.
— Los Angeles Review of Books

Dixon’s writing is powered by a certainty that she is not the only one who feels the way she describes, and that there is a value in straightforwardly and vulnerably saying so.
— Brooklyn Rail

The intimacy of Dixon’s book is vulnerable. At times it reads almost like a private journal. But the effect is tender rather than voyeuristic. She invites us into a kind of kinship.
— Liber Review

Her essays hold eloquent portrayals of the most common and quiet feelings of loneliness. But most compelling, they resist a tragic end. Though her words may have readers diving deep into what it means to be lonely, they’re likely to resurface with practical ways forward.
— Common Good

Cracks open some of life’s most fundamental questions through the lens of loneliness.
— Hippocampus Magazine

Unique. . . . simultaneously intense and breezy.
— Full Stop

Intimate. . . . Engaging. . . . leaves readers contemplating not just loneliness but also hope and possibility long after reading The Loneliness Files. In that contemplative state, perhaps we find ourselves connected in some way.


— West Trade Review

Dixon’s searing vulnerability shines.
— The Amsterdam News

I felt so seen in Dixon’s memoir. What a relief—I’m not the only one who feels so lonely.
— Hobart Pulp

Athena Dixon is my favorite sort of writer: Startlingly direct, vulnerable, and astonishingly honest. In The Loneliness Files, Dixon invites us to sit on her sofa with her, and with unflinching humility, reveals to us that her fear of dying alone is only eclipsed by her fear of not being remembered. I can assure you that anyone who reads The Loneliness Files will not be able to forget Dixon or her extraordinarily relatable journey.


— Laura Cathcart Robbins, author of Stash: My Life In Hiding

In The Loneliness Files, Athena Dixon dissects the social constructs that both create and pathologize loneliness, ultimately concluding that the remedy might not be its eradication, but a radical re-envisioning of what loneliness can make possible: a deeper understanding of oneself, a deeper appreciation of the connections that keep us tethered to the world, and the absolute wonder of finding unexpected pockets of joy in solitude. Dixon writes with the astute candor of a recluse who has invited you into her most intimate spaces, ones that are rich with the minutia of a contemporary life, and in so doing, she compels you to consider the intricacies of your own.


— Destiny O. Birdsong, author of Nobody's Magic

Overflowing with affection and humanity even as it examines difficult subjects, The Loneliness Files is one of those all-too-rare treats: a memoir to converse with. It is musical, truthful, and as I read, I left notes in the margins, re-examined my own experience of the global Pandemic, and let the conversation re-shape my present. This book is a true gem, and only a superior essayist could have created it. Instead of putting it down when I finished, I flipped right back to page 1 and started over.


— Alex Jennings, author of The Ballad of Perilous Graves

Haunting, affecting, and searingly smart, Athena Dixon's The Loneliness Files is both a mirror and soundtrack for our times. She offers us, in prose both lyrical and hypnotic, insights so unflinching they left me breathless. This book goes beyond one woman's loneliness to illuminate essential truths about our collective aloneness.


— Jeannine Ouellette, author of The Part that Burns