THE OLD MAN EATING ALONE

A child befriends an old man.

Young Emily feels sorry for Mr. Wilson, whom she sees eating alone at a cafe every morning. She strikes up a friendship with him (grown-ups may want to caution children against approaching strangers) and learns about his late wife, whose presence he still feels. Mr. Wilson tells her that while he might be physically alone, he’s never lonely. However, the narrative is unlikely to interest children. The book is rooted in Mr. Wilson’s remembrances about his wife; little is learned about Emily’s perspective. Though the book attempts to convey the idea that solitude and loneliness aren’t necessarily the same things, it ends up making the point that people still need a partner to complete them; Emily stops pitying Mr. Wilson only when she discovers he was once married. The story somewhat abruptly becomes a tale of loss; days go by without Emily seeing Mr. Wilson at the cafe, and she eventually learns of his death. A letter penned by Mr. Wilson before he died promises Emily “I’ll always be with you.” Both protagonists have doll-like faces, with enlarged foreheads and oblong head shapes. Apart from Mr. Wilson’s wife, seen in flashbacks, no other human faces are depicted (when the cafe owner hands Emily the note, only their arm is seen), which feels distancing. Characters are light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Words of wisdom on love and loneliness that will go above the heads of their intended audience.