> Skip to content
Play sample
  • Published: 8 August 2023
  • ISBN: 9781405951258
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $26.00

Meredith, Alone

The hopeful and uplifting debut you’ll never forget




Sometimes you've just got to let someone in . . . The most hopeful, poignant and uplifting paperback of 2023

Meredith Maggs hasn't left her house in 1,214 days. But she insists she isn't alone . . .

She has her cat Fred. Her friend Sadie visits when she can. There's her online support group, StrengthInNumbers. She has her jigsaws, favourite recipes, her beloved Emily Dickinson, the internet, the Tesco delivery man and her treacherous memories for company.

But something's about to change. Whether Meredith likes it or not, the world is coming to her door . . . Does she have the courage to overcome what's been keeping her inside all this time?

  • Published: 8 August 2023
  • ISBN: 9781405951258
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $26.00

About the author

Claire Alexander

Claire Alexander lives with her young family on the west coast of Scotland. A freelance journalist, she has written about parenting, sobriety, mental health and wellbeing for publications including The Washington Post, The Independent, The Huffington Post and Glamour. When she's not writing or parenting, she's on her paddle board, thinking about her next book.

Praise for Meredith, Alone

Meredith, Alone is beautiful, moving and unexpectedly timely and this time next summer everyone is going to know Claire Alexander's name. It's such a pleasure to spend time in Meredith's world

Daisy Buchanan

Gorgeous. I shed tears. Very, very touching, sweet and hopeful

Marian Keyes

I laughed, I cried, and I bowed down to the brilliant author of this brilliant book

Gillian McAllister, bestselling author of <i>That Night</i>

A gorgeous, charming novel . . . Sweet, moving, funny and hopeful, with a courageous heroine who sweeps you up in her story

Jennifer Saint, <i>Sunday Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Ariadne</i>

I loved Meredith, Alone so much! Touching and funny and sad and hopeful. I have a Meredith shaped hole in my life now I've finished it

Jane Fallon, bestselling author of <i>Worst Idea Ever</i>

Thought provoking, relatable and hopeful. Ultimately this is a very human novel with a huge amount of heart

Culturefly, 'Books To Look Forward To'

Meredith is such a lovely character and will break your heart

Julie Owen Moylan, author of <i>That Green Eyed Girl</i>

Absolutely gorgeous. If you like a book that makes you feel all the feels, this is the one to go for

Miranda Dickinson, bestselling author of <i>Take A Look At Me Now</i>

A beautiful unfolding of a character I was not ready to let go of at the end of this book. Meredith's story is a raw and poignant reflection of what it means to rebuild a life after trauma

Dr Julie Smith, bestselling author of <i>Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before</i>

Fans of Eleanor Oliphant will love this big-hearted book . . . Meredith is a wonderful character

Good Housekeeping

Hugely recommended

Fabulous

Spirited, lovely, and full of hope

Sainsbury's Magazine

Fans of Eleanor Oliphant will love this big-hearted book [...] Meredith is a wonderful character

Good Housekeeping

With a gorgeous cast of characters, this story tackles difficult subjects, and unfolds sensitively. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant [...] will devour it

Woman & Home

Absolute page-turner . . . I loved being in the company of Meredith

Janice Forsyth, BBC Radio Scotland

Utterly joyful

Sun

I love this book for so many reasons, but mostly for Meredith herself who is both flawed and loveable. Although Meredith Alone is totally unique, it also reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine in all the best ways

Anna Bonet

It's not sugar coated but it's not depressing either, with Alexander finding just the right balance to make this a thought provoking, relatable and uplifting book. With a wonderfully ordinary cast of characters, all of them just trying to do the best they can with the hands they've been dealt, Meredith, Alone celebrates friendship, connection, forgiveness and the healing power of love. Ultimately this is a very human novel with a huge amount of heart

Culturefly

Heartbreaking but heart-warming

Sun

Heartbreaking and glorious . . . [An] absolute joy of a novel

Heat 'Book of the Week'

This moving story tackles difficult subjects, but unfolds beautifully and sensitively

Woman's Weekly

You'll root for Meredith all the way

Daily Express

This affecting, absorbing debut about an agoraphobic sociophobe reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Daily Mail

A touching novel about family, friendship and being in the world, full of warmth

i

Ultimately a book about hope and the power of friendship. A moving read which will leave you thinking about Meredith - even after you've turned the last page

Courier

This has real resonance

Sunday Post

This story tackles difficult subjects, but unfolds beautifully and sensitively. Fans of Gail Honeyman's bestseller Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine will devour it

Woman

Meredith is a likeable heroine who you can't help but root for . . . This is a book about hope and the power of friendship

Sunday Life

Alexander's touching debut is beautifully written and . . . brims with hope and the possibility of happiness. Sensitive, relatable

Mail on Sunday

Set to be one of the biggest debuts of the summer . . . Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine should be prepared to fall in love with Meredith, Alone

OX Magazine

Beautiful . . . A story filled with love and hope, and well-crafted characters

Grazia

Uplifting . . . there's a balance between darker themes and inspiring, uplifting ones: finding hope when (or where) you least expect it and learning to love yourself

Sunday Mail

For fans of Gail Honeywell's Eleanor Oliphant, Claire Alexander's debut novel is a moving story of finding inner strength and courage to overcome our deepest fears . . . Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, Alexander pulls at the heartstrings as we root for Meredith from the very beginning

The Upcoming

A novel that examines our most private spaces and what it means to be alone versus lonely, this charming, thought-provoking debut novel will be a big hit

Good Morning America

A touching contemporary fiction following one woman's journey back into the world

Popsugar

A timely and poignant book about trauma, loneliness, and stepping outside of our comfort zones - literally

BuzzFeed

An optimistic, feel-good novel

Kirkus Reviews

[A] satisfying debut. The endearing characters offer a sensitive portrayal of what it means to live with mental health issues... with heart to spare

Publishers Weekly