All the Lonely People
Fiction
Grand Central Publishing
July 13, 2021
Hardcover/Audio
384
Free from publisher and libro.fm
In weekly phone calls to his daughter in Australia, widower Hubert Bird paints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun, friendship, and fulfillment. But it's a lie. In reality, Hubert's days are all the same, dragging on without him seeing a single soul.
Until he receives some good news -- good news that in one way turns out to be the worst news ever, news that will force him out again, into a world he has long since turned his back on. The news that his daughter is coming for a visit.
Now Hubert faces a seemingly impossible task: to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out.
Along the way Hubert stumbles across a second chance at love, renews a cherished friendship, and finds himself roped into an audacious community scheme that seeks to end loneliness once and for all . . .
Life is certainly beginning to happen to Hubert Bird. But with the origin of his earlier isolation always lurking in the shadows, will he ever get to live the life he's pretended to have for so long?
Awww, this was such a sweet story. I'm a sucker for books about little old men, if you've followed my blog for awhile, I have a slew of them! This one had a unique take. Hubert has to invent a life for himself that he's been telling his daughter he's living (in their weekly phone calls) before she comes to visit. The story goes back and forth in time as we learn about Hubert's life as he moves to London from Jamaica in 1958. In the present day, he leads a very lonely existence until the push to develop a social life. How he goes about doing that shapes him as a man, and has an effect on all those around him. I loved the way the character of Hubert was portrayed, in both the present day and in his past. The supporting characters were also very well crafted, as well as the settings, and descriptions of his everyday life. My only qualm was with something that happens toward the end of the book that felt like it was ripped from Eleanore Oliphant. I didn't think it was necessary for the story to reach the same conclusion. I did think the epilogue gave great closure and appreciated it being added, even if it did make me sniffle a bit.
I listened to this book on audio, and thought the narrator Ben Onwukwe was fantastic in his presentation of Hubert. I would suggest this as an alternative if you enjoy audiobook format.
A beautiful story about loneliness, aging, family, and friendships, with vivid characters and one of the sweetest old men you'll ever meet in a story, I highly recommend this feel good read!
