#SOLOSTORIES: “Table for one” By Emma Gannon

SoloStories is our feature in which we explore books, films and TV shows that show single women navigating their lives – but romance is not the main component.

The shelves of bookstores are lined with romance novels, with a woman matched up with a man in a premise as realistic as the novels in the sci-fi section. They meet cute, they always find themselves forced to share the bedroom on a trip and they break up three-fourths of the way through. But don’t worry, they’ll get back together with some grand gesture.

So it’s nice to see a novel that offers a different outlook.

In the novel “Table for One: A Modern Love Story,” author British writer Emma Gannon poses a question – what if being solo is a great adventure?

Willow enjoyed being single in her college days, remembering one date: “I surprised myself by having a great time. I loved the film (“Frances Ha”), walked along the waterfront, browsed in Foyles, and then found a fantastic dumpling spot, where I nestled into a corner and eavesdropped on the conversations around me. It was the best date I’d had in months.”

But she found herself in a relationship with Dom throughout her 20s. Now in her early 30s, she’s experiencing what it’s like to be single for the first time in years.

She has single pals – including some members of her female group of friends and Carla, her aunt who raised her. While writing a profile for a magazine, Willow becomes entranced by Naz, a Gen Z influencer who touts the advantages of being single.

After an evening with fellow single women arranged by Naz, she says, “I forgot how much I enjoyed carefree evenings where no one knows where you are or what time you’re going to bed.”

Willow discovers some hard truths about Naz and goes through a tough situation with Carla. But, unlike some other authors, Gannon never dismisses single people by stating that there’s something wrong with them. Carla is always at ease with herself, and Naz makes the lifestyle seem ideal.

Willow goes from feeling awkward to embracing her new path in life. In one portion of the story, a teacher tells her that writing is “a way of owning your own narrative. … Every time you type something, you are taking back power. You get to be the author of your own life.”

“Table for One” shows us that being single is a wonderful way to live your own life, and as valid as any romance.