The Lonely Hunter

A COSMOPOLITAN BEST NON-FICTION BOOK OF 2022

More people are single today than ever before. Yet in a world where romantic love still reigns, the stories we tell ourselves haven't kept up. The Lonely Hunter explores the rise of singledom, the realities of loneliness, and whether it is possible to live contentedly alone.

‘So what's going on in your love life?’. An innocent question at a dinner party prompted Aimée Lutkin to finally tell the truth: it was six years since her last relationship, and she suspected it would be better to accept the life she had — a life she liked very much — rather than keep searching. But Lutkin’s answer was met with uproar; surely she couldn't give up on love? So she threw herself into dating, going on two dates every week.

Documenting her experiences, Lutkin explores the reality of sexual relationships today and reveals how the cultural messages we receive shape our expectations of love. From weird Tinder hookups to the way the ‘self care’ industry capitalises on our fear of being alone, to the complexities of queer dating and the truth about the ‘loneliness epidemic’, she uses her experiences to fearlessly tell a wider story about how we love now.