In Praise Of Being Alone
This month, I went out on a date – the first I’d been on this year. It was my New Year’s resolution to go on this exact date, not because of the company I’d be keeping, but in fact, the lack thereof. I was quite nervous at the idea of going alone, so I brought a book from my nightstand, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (check out my other book recommendations below), and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it all felt. I ate at an amazing restaurant in New York called Cosme – don’t miss the duck carnitas or the cornhusk meringue. At the risk of sounding all ‘eat pray love’ about it, not for a second did I feel alone. Instead, I delighted in how much I enjoyed spending time with myself. I felt – in the words of Arwa Mahdawi, one of this issue’s writers – powerful.
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
- Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
- To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
- Animal by Lisa Taddeo
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Don’t miss episode 1 of my new podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service – subscribe now