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General fiction (Children's / Teenage)
A story about online culture - good and bad - and its power over our sense of self, All The Lonely People explores the experience of loneliness in a connected world.
'I loved it . . . There's nothing out there like All The Lonely People - it's uniquely brilliant, bold and not afraid to shout about what's wrong with the world, while still showing how subtle changes and hope can save lives. Original, shocking, eye-opening and thoroughly enjoyable' Simon P Clark, author of Eren
Everyone tells Kat that her online personality - confident, funny, opinionated - isn't her true self. Kat knows otherwise. The internet is her only way to cope with a bad day, chat with friends who get all her references, make someone laugh. But when she becomes the target of an alt-right trolling campaign, she feels she has no option but to Escape, Delete, Disappear.
With her social media shut down, her website erased, her entire online identity void, Kat feels she has cut away her very core: without her virtual self, who is she?
She brought it on herself. Or so Wesley keeps telling himself as he dismantles Kat's world. It's different, seeing one of his victims in real life and not inside a computer screen - but he's in too far to back out now.
As soon as Kat disappears from the online world, her physical body begins to fade and while everybody else forgets that she exists, Wesley realises he is the only one left who remembers her. Overcome by remorse for what he has done, Wesley resolves to stop her disappearing completely. It might just be the only way to save himself.
All the Lonely People is a timely story about online culture - both good and bad - that explores the experience of loneliness in a connected world, and the power of kindness and empathy over hatred.
More books by David Owen
Praise for All The Lonely People
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I loved it . . . There's nothing out there like All The Lonely People - it's uniquely brilliant, bold and not afraid to shout about what's wrong with the world, while still showing how subtle changes and hope can save lives. Original, shocking, eye-opening and thoroughly enjoyable
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A touching tale of the true value of friendship and family in giving meaning to our lives - SFX magazine
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'An adroit, fast-paced YA page-turner that movingly explores themes of isolation, disaffection and our overwhelming need to be connected' - The Guardian
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All The Lonely People is an unsettling, uncomfortable read, initially seeming like it may be a grim, journalistic account but then is quickly elevated to something more artistic, literary and indeed interesting by its magical realist bent. Both Kat and Wesley fight for the reader's heart in a narrative that demands empathy, but not forgiveness, for bullies and their victims. - Irish Times
David Owen
David Owen achieved 1st class honours in BA Creative Writing and MA Writing for Children at The University of Winchester, where he went on to teach on the BA Creative Writing course for three years. He hopes that one day all of his students will surpass his own achievements.
David's debut YA novel, Panther (2015) received rave reviews, and was nominated for the Carnegie medal. He is the Content and Social Media specialist for gapyear.com and a former freelance games journalist. David spends most of his time thinking about biscuits.
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