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Loneliness & Company
- Narrated by: Annalyse McCoy
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
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Loneliness & Company
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Summary
A timely, beautifully observed debut novel set in near future New York about a young woman who finds herself tangled in a secret government project combating loneliness.
Lee knows she’s the best. A professor favorite and fellowship winner, there’s no doubt she’ll land one of the coveted jobs at a Big Five corporation. So when, upon graduating, Lee is instead assigned to an unknown company in the dead city of New York, her life goals are completely upended.
In this new role, Lee’s task is to gather enough research to train an AI how to be a friend. She begins online and by studying the social circle of her clueless, outgoing roommate Veronika. But when the company reveals it’s part of a classified government mission to solve loneliness—an emotion erased from society’s lexicon decades ago—Lee’s determination to prove herself kicks into overdrive, and she begins chasing bolder and more dangerous experiences to provide data for the AI.
How far will Lee go to teach the algorithm? As the mysterious affliction spreads, Lee must decide what she’s willing to give up for success and, along the way, learn what it means to be a true friend.
Loneliness & Company is an enchanting, gorgeously written novel about finding meaning and connection in a world beset by isolation.
Critic reviews
'Dyroff’s near future-set book is a bewitching story about technology and isolation. It will grip readers with mesmerizing writing and a tautly-paced plot.' (Debutiful, "Most Anticipated Debut Books of 2024")
'Naturally intelligent. An inventive, timely, and perceptive story about human connection and being alive.' (Emily Austin, author of EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD)
'It’s such a great premise: a future in which loneliness has allegedly been eradicated. I was hooked from the start, and marveled at the poignancy of watching Lee relearn the basics of friendship for the sake of an AI program. Honestly, it felt like where we might all end up if we continue to let social media dominate our lives. Dyroff’s brilliant story will make you want to hold all your—real—friends closer.' (Jessica Francis Kane, author of RULES FOR VISITING)
'This book is funny, tender, strange, and modern. Dyroff has written a bildungsroman for the robot set, a profound look at human curiosity and longing in a finely wrought near-future New York. Loneliness & Company resonates and pops; it infiltrated my dreams.' (Kate Greene, author of ONCE UPON A TIME I LIVED ON MARS)
'Loneliness & Company is a stunning novel, full of lyricism, brilliance and quiet integrity, boldly tackling the most complex philosophical ideas. How do you define loneliness that plagues all of us, increasingly so? Is it a personal affliction or an existential condition? I’ll be thinking about this novel for a long time.' (Lara Vapnyar, author of DIVIDE ME BY ZERO)