I'm grateful All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle was pressed into my ears by Libro.fm and the Currently Reading podcast.
This emotional story, told in two timelines, features Hubert Bird. Readers first meet him in present time where the 84-year-old widower leads an active life in England with a group of close friends. He recounts their adventures to his daughter Rose during weekly phone conversations. However, we quickly learn things aren't as Hubert reports, and his efforts to reconcile this changes his life in unimaginable ways.
The historical timeline begins as Hubert is a young man in Jamaica, then follows his immigration to and early days in England, his courtship and marriage to Joyce, and the issues their relationship creates among prejudiced family members and neighbors. Readers also experience the joys and challenges of Joyce and Hubert raising their children and dealing with Joyce's health conditions.
One of my favorite character types is the elderly individual who struggles to find meaning in their present circumstances. Hubert Bird joins Ove (A Man Called Ove), Eudora (The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett), Odile (The Paris Library), Mukesh (The Reading List), and Ellie (The Christmas Dress) on my list of favorites.
The novel's exploration of loneliness seems especially timely as the world deals with distancing and isolation due to COVID which will certainly impact our future in countless ways.
This was excellent on audio with narration by Ben Onwukwe who infused authenticity and personality into Hubert through his dialog.
Thank you to Hachette Audio for the advanced listening copy of this incredible story of found family.
This emotional story, told in two timelines, features Hubert Bird. Readers first meet him in present time where the 84-year-old widower leads an active life in England with a group of close friends. He recounts their adventures to his daughter Rose during weekly phone conversations. However, we quickly learn things aren't as Hubert reports, and his efforts to reconcile this changes his life in unimaginable ways.
The historical timeline begins as Hubert is a young man in Jamaica, then follows his immigration to and early days in England, his courtship and marriage to Joyce, and the issues their relationship creates among prejudiced family members and neighbors. Readers also experience the joys and challenges of Joyce and Hubert raising their children and dealing with Joyce's health conditions.
One of my favorite character types is the elderly individual who struggles to find meaning in their present circumstances. Hubert Bird joins Ove (A Man Called Ove), Eudora (The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett), Odile (The Paris Library), Mukesh (The Reading List), and Ellie (The Christmas Dress) on my list of favorites.
The novel's exploration of loneliness seems especially timely as the world deals with distancing and isolation due to COVID which will certainly impact our future in countless ways.
This was excellent on audio with narration by Ben Onwukwe who infused authenticity and personality into Hubert through his dialog.
Thank you to Hachette Audio for the advanced listening copy of this incredible story of found family.
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