For Those in Need of Solitude

Having recently been blown away by Faber’s reissue of Gaining Ground by Joan Barfoot (easily my book of the year for 2026) – it made me reflect on how so many of the books I love are about solitude. I’m always fascinated by the things we might discover about ourselves when that’s all we have. Here is an eclectic list of some of my favourites, both fiction and non-fiction, including a couple I have to read (once I get a bit of solitude myself!).