Hermit
A memoir of finding freedom in a wild place
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
'I never imagined that the wind would blow me here, to a kind of isolation I have never experienced... There is never anything out here but my shadow, that no one treads on any more'
When Jade's partner leaves the barn that they moved into just weeks before, he leaves a dent in the wall and her life unravelled. Numbed from years in a destructive, abusive relationship, she faces an uncertain future and complete solitude. Slowly, with the help of Devon's salted cliffs and damp forested footpaths, Jade comes back to life and discovers the power of being alone.
As Jade reacclimatizes, she considers what it means to live alone. Through conversations with other hermits across the world, Fitton sheds light on the myriad - and often misunderstood - ways of living alone: from monks to hikikomori, and the largely ignored female hermit. Jade questions whether hermitic living is possible in an era of constant communication and increased housing costs as she finds herself financially unstable and itinerant. She realises that home doesn't exist within walls, but within the landscape of her childhood home county.
Lyrically written, this is an inspirational story of recovery, of finding home, and of celebrating solitude in the natural world.
Customer Reviews
A lovely read, more musings than memoir
This was an interesting book, I expected more of an insight into nature, rural living and Lundy, but it was morn of a broad, and varied exploration of remote living and hermit, and what causes the appeal to escape.
I didn’t recognise much of the Lundy that was described and had a hard time mentally mapping the places mentioned; it sounded simultaneously smaller and larger (and more populous).
There’s a very vague timeline, and packed with imagery and analogies, Jade covers the chapter of her life that launches her into remote living, her experience settling in and finding her new pace, and then a small bit into her interesting into returning back.
There isn’t a lot of detail given in some parts, while other sections seem to get a lot of focus: I struggled to follow Part 1 and the tumultuous London months. Some of the musings and historic info on monks and artists were a bit lost on me, but overall it was a pleasant read.