Waiting for Dolphins, by Kammeron Polverari

Psychiatrist Dr. Philip Gaines believed he could defeat the societal epidemic of chronic loneliness. Convincing his friend, Professor Will Armon, to participate as a test subject, he designs a radical experiment: one year of total isolation on a boat in the Sea of Cortez.

At first, the idyllic solitude offers Will peace and creative inspiration—but the isolation soon turns into a harrowing nightmare. Hallucinations, paranoia, and despair creep in, leaving him hovering above the waters of reality and illusion and clinging to imagined companions, especially the dolphins that visit him daily. Every day becomes a test of sanity and survival.

Meanwhile, Julia, Will’s wife, faces her own kind of loneliness, unaware that Philip has made her part of the experiment as well. His growing obsession blurs morality, leading to betrayal, heartbreak, and consequences he never anticipated.

Waiting for Dolphins explores the consuming nature of isolation, the fragility of human connection, and the fine line between ambition and cruelty. It is a psychologically intense, haunting story that asks: what does it truly mean to be alone—and at what (and whose) expense do we try to control loneliness?