All the Lonely people by Mike Gayle
All the Lonely People is the story of Jamaican immigrant Hubert Bird. With alternating chapters that show Hubert in the present time and past, readers get an encompassing look at Hubert's life. The story follows Hubert as he arrives in England in 1958 from Jamaica on The Windrush. He dreams of making a better life for himself. And despite his initial difficulties, he does just that. Fast forward, Hubert meets the love of his life, a woman named Joyce. They have two beautiful children, David and Rose.
Jumping forward to the present day we find the out that the 84 year old Hubert is widowed. In weekly phone calls to his daughter who lives in Australia, Hubert paints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun, friendship and fulfilment. But Hubert is lying. The truth is day after day drags by without him seeing a single soul.
The story seamlessly switches between the past and the present, giving the reader the opportunity to get to know Hubert from his humble beginnings to where he is now.
A beautifully written novel about love, loss, loneliness and hope.
