Meredith, Alone

Meredith had experienced multiple traumas in her past which drove her to shut herself away in her home. After befriending a woman from her online support group, a desire to rejoin the world is awakened within her. Though part of this story sheds light on what happened to Meredith, it is more about her grit and determination to overcome those things.

I felt so much for Meredith, but mostly, I was happy that I got to share this journey with her. For a myriad of reasons, Meredith had not left her house for several years. Via flashbacks and first hand accounts, I slowly learned about Meredith’s difficult childhood, past trauma, and complicated relationships with her sister and mother. My heart ached for this woman, but I found so much joy in the life she had built for herself.

In many of the flashbacks, I got to share some painful as well as some lovely memories with Meredith. She had a full life, and the build up to that straw that broke the camel’s back kept me flipping the pages. It was interesting how disappointed Meredith was with herself and her inability to leave her home because, to me, it was a testament to her strength that she was still here after all the pain she suffered.

I was glad that despite her struggles, Meredith was able to build a nice life for herself. She was fortunate that it was filled with some very special people. There was her life-long best friend Sadie who was a star. Tom, from the charity, whose efforts with Meredith along with his heartfelt confessions of his own loneliness endeared him to me. There was also Celeste whose party invitation was a catalyst for Meredith’s road to recovery, as well as Tom, her cat companion. It was just such a treat to see Meredith’s world expand as her circle of friends grew. And it wasn’t just Meredith who benefited. She also brought a lot to her friends’ lives. Yes, I experienced lots of warm fuzzies.

This was a story about many things – letting go of the past, healing, friendship, and finding the strength to move forward. The focus wasn’t on what happened, but rather on Meredith’s drive to move past it. Touching and heartwarming, I adored cheering Meredith on each step of the way.

I loved this book. I won't forget Meredith any time soon and found her courage inspiring. Despite the many challenges of recovery from trauma and agoraphobia, she just kept trying. I was also struck by how fortunate she was to have a good therapist, Diane, her long-time friend, Sadie, who stuck with her throughout, Tom who kept trying to be her friend, and, Celeste, her new friend. Not everyone with agoraphobia is lucky enough to have people in their lives who are as loving, encouraging, and supportive.

I get most of my ARCs from NetGalley. And while many times I will go there looking for a specific book to request, mostly I tend to just surf through all of the available titles and see what catches my eye. It might be the title, or the cover design, and then I'll read through the description. If I think I'll like it, I request it and then forget about it until the approval comes in. At that point I'll add it to my ARC calendar and then forget it again until it comes up next in the rotation. But here's the part I love the most: by this point I have pretty much no memory of the plot of the book at all. All I know is that at some point I liked the premise enough to request it. Could I read the blurb and refresh my memory? I could, but I usually don't. Why? Because that would spoil the supreme joy I get by going into a book completely blind. I have no idea who these characters are, not even an inkling of where the plot will take me. And that is my absolute favorite way to read a book.

This is exactly what happened with Claire Alexander's Meredith, Alone. I had no idea what the upcoming pages would show me, so I was just along for the ride. And it was a beautiful, heart-searing ride. We travel to Glasgow, Scotland (bucket list trip for me), to meet the titular Meredith, who has not set foot outside her home for 1,214 days. She works remotely for her job, orders everything she needs online, and seems quite content with her life as it is. She has Fred, her cat, to keep her company, and her jigsaw puzzles to occupy her time. But the question we are asking ourselves right from the start is...WHY? Why has she shuttered her life behind her front door? The answer unfurls for us gradually, and will rip your heart right to pieces.

But bit by bit, with the help of old friends and new, Meredith begins to open that door to the outside world. Her journey is emotional and vulnerable and I was right there cheering her on. I appreciated the fact that we are allowed to see Meredith stumble along the way. The process of healing from her trauma is intense and her progress in getting back to the outside world reflects that. The characters in this book are wonderfully developed, even the ones that maybe you don't want to really know about. And if you think you've figured out how this story will end, you're probably be wrong, but you'll agree that the ending we get is perfect. The story is told through multiple stages in Meredith's life; her childhood growing up with her older sister and their neglectful mother; her adult life before she closed herself off from the world; and the present, as we get a running account of the number of days it has been since she left the confines of her house. I'm not gonna lie, the jumping around got a bit confusing at times. The flashback chapters are titled with the year, but they are not presented in a linear order. The best strategy I found was to remember what year Meredith was born and then do some quick math at the beginning of each of those chapters to keep track of where we are in her life. But that is really my only nit to pick with this book. This is the first of Alexander's books that I have read, but I will definitely be checking out some of her other work. I highly recommend this beautiful story!

Meredith has not left her home in almost four years. She has an online job, gets everything she needs delivered, and a supportive friend who helps with the rest. She has no need to go outside, yet Meredith finds herself wanting to take back control of her life. Little by little, we see Meredith overcome her anxiety and childhood traumas, setting goals for herself to get out the door and down her street. Told in chapters alternating from her current reality and what got her to this point, Meredith’s journey is an emotional and powerful story that touches on mental health in a respectful and delicate way that had you rooting for her the entire time.

Not a happy novel, but an inspiring one, especially for anyone who's been through depression. It also reminded me of the lockdown years and I had some flashbacks. Definitely an interesting read, with an encouraging and hopeful message.

Loved this book!

Loved, loved, loved this book. If you love character development, you will enjoy this. One of my favorite reads in quite some time where I savored each page. Highly recommend.

Merdith, Alone by Claire Alexander
What a wonderful book! It was emotional and sad, yet uplifting. It was an easy book to read despite the heavy topics. You can’t help but root for Meredith who is absolutely lovable. I enjoyed the supporting characters, dual timeline, and watching Meredith go through her journey. This is such an important story on trauma and the effects it has on our lives. I recommend.

Oh, this book. It will tug (or maybe something more dramatic — jerk?) your heartstrings. Meredith is a dear, dear character and narrator. You will love her to pieces before the book is done. Her story is not remarkable, except that it is. It is every story of trauma and anxiety, except that it is hers. The author does an excellent job of describing what trauma and anxiety do to a person, yet this story is Meredith’s alone. You may cry, and you will definitely cheer her on in her journey

Meredith has not left her home in 1,214 days. She has a remote job, has groceries and essentials delivered, and a supportive friend who helps with the rest. She has no need to go outside, yet Meredith finds herself wanting to take back control of her life.

Little by little, we see Meredith overcome her anxiety and traumas, working with a therapist online and setting small goals for herself to leave the house. The relationships she develops with her friend Sadie, a community carer Tom, and the love between Meredith and her elder and equally complex sister, Fiona, are beautifully depicted, as is their damaged and damaging mother and stories of her estranged father. The book is told in alternating chapters from her present day to past times which gradually reveal what got her to the point of agoraphobia. Meredith’s journey is an emotional and powerful story that touches on mental health in a respectful manner that had me rooting for her throughout!

5/5 stars ⭐️