Tale of hope and courage in a fight against isolation

All The Lonely People

I love my own company, so being granted the opportunity, especially during this Covid crisis, of being alone in the flat I share with my other half is such a treat.

I love him dearly, of course, but I enjoy spending time without the need to speak to someone for a few hours.

Then it’s lovely to welcome him back, visit friends and chat from a distance and visit my parents every now and again.

But for some people, being alone isn’t a novelty. It’s not a treat that allows them time to read a book or watch a favourite TV show in peace. It’s a constant ache for company. It’s loneliness and it’s a tragedy that many people go through life day in and day out rarely speaking to another person.

That’s how Hubert Bird, the hero of Mike Gayle’s latest novel All The Lonely People, lives his life. Completely alone.

Hubert lost his wife Joyce years ago and has lost touch with all of his friends.

The most interaction Hubert enjoys is a weekly call from his daughter Rose, who lives in Australia, and the occasional chat with whoever is serving him in the supermarket. There is the companionship of his cat Puss, but human interaction is seriously lacking in his life. So much so, that during calls with Rose, Hubert has made up fictional friends to reassure his daughter that he’s kept busy and perfectly happy with his life as it is.

There’s one problem, though. Rose is coming home to Bromley to visit her old dad. He’s going to have to tell her the truth. His friends aren’t real, and he’s going to have to pull together some real friends to build a life back up. But can he muster the courage to make new friends? And will they fill his life with the conversation and richness he so deser ves?

Unsure of where to start, new neighbour Ashleigh calls round with her toddler daughter. She’s in her 20s to match Hubert’s 80s, but she might just be the key to a new lease of life, happiness and love for our leading man. Albeit an easy read that’s not challenging to fall into a reading rhythm, All The Lonely People covers some important themes that really hit home. Hubert moved from Jamaica for a better life in Brixton, and on beginning a job in the warehouse at a department store, he met Joyce, a local London girl and immediately falls head over heels.

The pair faced racism at every turn, even from family members, putting pressure on the youngsters’ relationship from the get go.

Along the way, however, the kindness of people, ordinary people, can make all the difference to a life whether they realise it or not.

All The Lonely People is my first read of a Mike Gayle book and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It’s a hard-hitting story, but written in a soft and accessible way that the message gets across to the reader, and the pages are filled with hope and well-meaning words that get you thinking about older relatives and neighbours. I’ll miss Hubert now I’m on to another book. But you can get to know him too. And I think you’ll enjoy his company – when he lets you in, of course.