Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
This book is a series of vignettes that take place in Italy. We learn that the first-person narrator-protagonist is female and single. We gain insight as to her thoughts and views on life. She describes
Experiencing solitude and being alone
Talking to a barista as though the person is a friend
Describing Loneliness
Noticing strangers and recognizing their families
Appreciating similarities and differences between herself and others
Noticing that situations are not as simple as they seem
Processing human foibles
Laughing at the charades of life
Enjoying eavesdropping
Engaging in people watching
Ruminating on which relationships are important and how they should be
Being single
Having affairs
Noticing the mundane in unusual ways
Seeking companionship
Commencing on the games humans play in daily life
Cherishing occurrences such as a sunrise
Sharing snippets of life: sometimes beautiful, often confusing
