All The Lonely People
By Mike Gayle
370 pages
What’s it about?
Hubert Bird is a lonely eighty-two-year-old widower living in London. Originally from the West Indies he moved to London as a young man and has made his life there, but somehow he now lacks the community he once had. When Ashleigh moves next door with her young daughter Layla they reach out. Hubert is not interested, but he knows he needs to make some friends before his daughter Rose comes to visit and realizes how lonely his life has become.What did it make me think about?
Community and how important it is to everyone.Should I read it?
So my college alumni book group read this book a few months ago and I was intrigued. Thanks to the University of Illinois Alumni Book Club for sharing this novel. This book put me in mind of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry written by Rachel Joyce or A Man Called Ove written by Fredrik Backman. These novels seem to center around sweet (sometimes grumpy) old men who are at a crossroads in their lives when they meet a cast of characters that change their trajectories. Much like these two novels All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle is a story filled with characters you will sorely miss. The more I read the more I loved Hubert Bird and the more I was rooting for him. I am sad to not be spending more time with Hubert and his friends- surely that is the sign of a good book!Quote-
“It used to be the family all looking out for one another, but it’s not like that anymore. It used to be you at least knew your doctor, but these days you’re lucky to get an appointment, let alone see the same GP twice. It used to be your neighbors kept an eye on you, but people like to keep themselves to themselves now. It used to be that you belonged to a community, but really, is there such a thing anymore? Now it’s more like every man for himself.”What’s it about?
Hubert Bird is a lonely eighty-two-year-old widower living in London. Originally from the West Indies he moved to London as a young man and has made his life there, but somehow he now lacks the community he once had. When Ashleigh moves next door with her young daughter Layla they reach out. Hubert is not interested, but he knows he needs to make some friends before his daughter Rose comes to visit and realizes how lonely his life has become.
What did it make me think about?
Community and how important it is to everyone.
Should I read it?
So my college alumni book group read this book a few months ago and I was intrigued. Thanks to the University of Illinois Alumni Book Club for sharing this novel. This book put me in mind of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry written by Rachel Joyce or A Man Called Ove written by Fredrik Backman. These novels seem to center around sweet (sometimes grumpy) old men who are at a crossroads in their lives when they meet a cast of characters that change their trajectories. Much like these two novels All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle is a story filled with characters you will sorely miss. The more I read the more I loved Hubert Bird and the more I was rooting for him. I am sad to not be spending more time with Hubert and his friends- surely that is the sign of a good book!
Quote-
“It used to be the family all looking out for one another, but it’s not like that anymore. It used to be you at least knew your doctor, but these days you’re lucky to get an appointment, let alone see the same GP twice. It used to be your neighbors kept an eye on you, but people like to keep themselves to themselves now. It used to be that you belonged to a community, but really, is there such a thing anymore? Now it’s more like every man for himself.”
