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The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells - 4.5* - My Review

The story opens with protagonist Jules lying in a hospital bed, having just survived a motorcycle accident. He flashes back to his life at boarding school with his two older siblings, after a traumatic event in the family. He meets a girl his age, who has also suffered a loss, and they form a friendship. The storyline follows the lives of the siblings as seen from Jules’s perspective. They grow apart and come together again. They make mistakes, choose the wrong paths, and try to take corrective actions.

It is about forging one’s life after a tragic event. It portrays the lingering impact of trauma into adulthood. The characters are extremely well crafted and believable. We follow them through the ups and downs of life, successes and failures, a few spots of happiness and lots of sadness. I found this an engrossing story. It was easy to empathize with them through their pain and loneliness, and hope for them to overcome their losses. I read the English translation from the original German. It is a quiet and reflective novel, and extremely well written.

4.5