the age of loneliness

graywolf Press, august 6, 2024

In this debut essay collection, Laura Marris reframes environmental degradation by setting aside the conventional, catastrophic framework of the Anthropocene in favor of that of the Eremocene, the age of loneliness, marked by the dramatic thinning of wildlife populations and by isolation between and among species. She asks: How do we add to archives of ecological memory? How can we notice and document what's missing in the landscapes closest to us? Vivid, keenly observed, and driven by a lively and lyrical voice, The Age of Loneliness is a moving examination of the dangers of loneliness, the surprising histories of ecological loss, and the ways that community science—which relies on the embodied evidence of “ground truth”—can help us recognize, and maybe even recover, what we’ve learned to live without.

Reviews in LARB, Los Angeles Times, BOMB, Chicago Review of Books, On The Seawall, Publishers Weekly (starred review), Ursula Mag, Shelf Awareness

“An undeniably profound elucidation of losses. . . . [Marris’s] approach counters the colonial, the destructive, the industrial. The Age of Loneliness holds up a reflection whereby we, too, grieve the sometimes invisible losses that we have been bequeathed.”—Anita Felicelli, Los Angeles Times

“To read Marris is to find oneself not only in the hands of a lonely soul, but also in those of a dogged detective, an astute historian, and a keen forensic anthropologist. Marris brings her capacious mind and its longings to the page.” —Lauren Markham, LARB

"In The Age of Loneliness, Laura Marris guides readers through specific ecological histories of absence-making: displacement, climate crisis, and the vanishing of species. This thoroughly researched, passionate, and courageous autobiographical nonfiction debut also reminds us that even in Western New York State's long history of toxicity, even near Buffalo-Niagara's now nearly desolate Love Canal, we remain connected by quiet ecosystems of companionship and love." —Susan Howe

“Marris debuts with a shattering collection that meditates on the sense of loss and isolation caused by humanity’s estrangement from the natural world…. Readers will be awed.” —Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

“Astonishing . . . With equal parts research and reflection, these essays transpose landscapes of personal and shared loss to show how absence can be an opportunity for connection—both to a place and to the people who define and witness it.”—Elaina Friedman, Chicago Review of Books

“A satisfyingly complex and profound collection.”—Kirkus Reviews

"The Age of Loneliness is a stunning book that will become a close friend, and like all good friends, it will change the shape of our world. Both personal and planetary, roving in its intelligence and deeply rooted in its lyrical observation, Laura Marris has managed that trickiest of feats: she brings the past into the present and reminds us that we’re not yet alone. With prose that calls to mind the best in the tradition of nature writing, but with a voice which is also clearly, distinctly its own, Marris is the writer for our time." —Daegan Miller

“The Age of Loneliness is a gorgeous, poignant guide to finding one another in a time of loss.” — Michelle Nijhuis

“The Age of Loneliness calls to us from our era of extinction like a bird we thought we had lost. Laura Marris is a prophet whose patient song calls us to attention, to mercy, and finally, to each other.” —Tomás Q. Morín

“These are essays of exquisite beauty. The Age of Loneliness is an exploration of landscapes, interior and exterior, and the ways they become imprinted with both wounding and healing. As Marris reckons with the loneliness of late capitalism, what emerges is a work of love and connection.” —Kathryn Savage