# Books in which protagonist is alone for much of the book

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-in-which-protagonist-is-alone-for-much-of-the-book/818147>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 18, 2018, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-in-which-protagonist-is-alone-for-much-of-the-book/818147 "2018-07-18T13:49:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-in-which-protagonist-is-alone-for-much-of-the-book/818147/41 "2018-07-30T20:47:03Z")

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> [@gkster](#):
>
> I haven’t read it myself, but a friend is a big fan of _Into the Wild_ by Jon Krakauer. I assume that the protagonist, Chris McCandless, must be alone for most of the book?

I can’t believe I forgot one of my favorite books. Yes, the book is about the nature and consequences of being alone, and tells the story of many other isolated adventurers as commentary on Chris’s life.

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**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-in-which-protagonist-is-alone-for-much-of-the-book/818147/42 "2018-07-30T20:53:02Z")

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]‘The lovely bones’, by Sebold. The protagonist is dead and narrating. She’s not the only character in the book, but she is alone.

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**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-in-which-protagonist-is-alone-for-much-of-the-book/818147/43 "2018-07-30T21:22:54Z")

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> [@SpoilerVirgin](#):
>
> If you like non-fiction, I’ve read some really great books in this genre:
> 
> [A Voyage for Madmen](https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Madmen-Peter-Nichols-ebook/dp/B000QTEA4M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532790432&sr=8-1&keywords=A+voyage+for+mad+men) - about the 1968 solo sailing race around the world
> 
> [Alone on the Ice](https://www.amazon.com/Alone-Ice-Greatest-Survival-Exploration-ebook/dp/B007Q6XJL8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1532790547&sr=1-1&keywords=Alone+on+the+ice) - about Australian explorer Douglas Mawson, whose companions died on an Antarctic expedition
> 
> [Touching the Void](https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Void-Joe-Simpson-ebook/dp/B00AR0DN3Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1532790727&sr=1-1&keywords=into+the+void) - Joe Simpson’s story of how he survived after his climbing partner left him for dead in the Andes

_Touching the Void_ is the one I was thinking of. He’s not alone at the beginning or the very end, but 99% of the time, he’s alone. Amazing story…and it’s real.

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**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-in-which-protagonist-is-alone-for-much-of-the-book/818147/44 "2018-07-30T22:30:33Z")

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> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#):
>
> _Suzanne and the Pacific,_ by Jean Giraudoux is my favorite book with this theme. I found it exquisite. Good luck finding a copy, though.

Wow, you’re right. That’s a difficult book to find!

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