One of the best pieces of parenting advice I ever received was to ‘fill the kid’s well’. It was shorthand for paying attention, interacting with, and spending time with children so they did not feel that they needed to fill their emptiness with things that are harmful. I often think of loneliness as a well that needs filling; humans are designed to live in community and when we cannot interact meaningfully with others, our well becomes depleted. The Gospel of Loneliness by Dwight Wolter dissects this concept and equips readers with a new understanding of how we can repurpose this feeling into something stronger.

The Gospel of Loneliness is broken into nine chapters, all of which explore a different facet of loneliness. Wolter weaves definitions through anecdotes, showing readers different ways loneliness affects people. He offers up observations about ways to help those who are lonely, while also guiding the reader into an understanding of the power of loneliness. Wolter dives into how loneliness, when framed properly, can help people. The condition of loneliness can help foster forms of creative expression, teach us new things about ourselves and others, as well as new ways of visioning. Written by the pastor of a large church who has helped people with this, Wolter offers solutions he has found to help cope with loneliness and escape from this phenomenon.

This book offers much to think about, observe, and learn. This book could be a good addition to your shelves. Pull it out for someone who is experiencing loneliness, as well as for those who want to take care of those who are lonely. This book is a guide for both people experiencing this and people who are trying to help others experiencing this hard time in their lives.This could be a good choice for an adult book club during faith formation time; take a chapter a week and use the questions that the author peppers throughout the chapters as discussion points. This book may be just what you’re looking for!