You Are Here

Content Warning: This section of the guide refers to alcohol misuse and infertility.

The theme of loneliness and the deep-seated human need for connection drives You Are Here. The novel foregrounds the protagonists’ painful experience of loneliness in the absence of meaningful relationships. Marnie and Michael’s emotional isolation at the beginning of the novel catalyzes their character development and the plot’s progression.

The novel portrays loneliness as creating a profound void in Marnie and Michael’s lives since both lack meaningful engagement with others. The text illustrates the two protagonists’ insular perspectives. Both are lonely but try to convince themselves that they’re happier alone, afraid to make the necessary changes in their lives. The novel highlights how loneliness can manifest in various ways. Marnie’s solitude primarily results from physical isolation. Her character demonstrates the alienating nature of contemporary society: Workers increasingly need not leave their homes or speak to other people. The novel depicts technology as an unsatisfying substitute for face-to-face human interactions, showing Marnie “listlessly foraging on social media, incontinently liking posts, present but as anonymous as someone clapping in a stadium crowd” (4).

Through Marnie, the text also explores the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on social interactions. Accustomed to solitude, she finds face-to-face interactions and leaving her flat daunting. Also contributing to Marnie’s alienation is the weight of societal expectations. Divorced and childless while most of her peers are married with children, she becomes a social outlier. Marnie’s character conveys the stigma and shame that can accompany loneliness: She feels that her lack of friends and a partner must be the result of a flaw in her character. However, the revelation of Marnie’s witty and fun-loving personality as the novel progresses demonstrates that anyone can experience loneliness.

Michael’s character illustrates the loneliness of emotional distance because others surround him at work yet he feels profoundly disconnected. Despite his passion for teaching geography, Michael is unable to “punch through adolescent indifference,” reflecting, “Who can identify stratocumulus when your mind is on the hipflask and the vape and whether she likes you? How can a mountain compete with the boil on your chin?” (9). His teenage pupils’ inability to empathize with the pain of a middle-aged man is evident in their laughter when he cries in his car after Natasha leaves him. Michael’s situation highlights the painful gap between being physically present with others and emotionally connected to them. The pain of loneliness isn’t just about solitude; it encompasses the yearning for understanding, companionship, and the affirmation that comes from being seen and valued by others.

Loneliness and desire for social interaction are central to both protagonists’ development in the novel. From a position of solitude at the beginning of the novel, Marnie and Michael embark on a quest for human connection. While Marnie actively seeks to reengage with others, human interaction is forced on Michael until he realizes that Marnie’s company has enhanced his life. As the protagonists slowly form a bond, the novel emphasizes the courage that meaningful relationships require. Marnie and Michael both fear exposing themselves to the emotional vulnerability that love entails. Although fraught with challenges, their relationship transforms their lives, fulfilling the innate universal desire to belong, to be understood, and to be loved.