The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We’ve Lost in a World of Constant Connection

Winner of the 2014 Governor General’s Litrary Award for Non-Fiction.

Soon enough, nobody will remember life before the Internet. What does this unavoidable fact mean?

Those of us who have lived both with and without the crowded connectivity of online life have a rare opportunity. We can still recognize the difference between Before and After. We catch ourselves idly reaching for our phones at the bus stop. Or we notice how, midconversation, a fumbling friend dives into the perfect recall of Google.

In this eloquent and thought-provoking book, Michael Harris argues that amid all the changes we’re experiencing, the most interesting is the end of absence-the loss of lack. The daydreaming silences in our lives are filled; the burning solitudes are extinguished. There’s no true ‘free time’ when you carry a smartphone. Today’s rarest commodity is the chance to be alone with your thoughts.

‘A fascinating assessment of this moment we inhabit … an illuminating, worthy reckoning of our disjointed, digital life.’ Associated Press

‘Harris is a smooth writer and a smart critic about what we’ve lost in today’s technology.’ Flavorwire

‘Harris writes in an elegant, accessible, and often hilarious way.’ Chicago Tribune

‘His far-ranging research provides a wealth of thought=provoking statistics and details, and The End of Absence has a kinetic energy well-matched to our jumpy attention spans.’ The Washington Post

‘fascinating … I was so engrossed by the book that I read until I realized night had fallen.’ The Guardian (London)