All The Lonely People
MIKE GAYLE (HODDER & STOUGHTON, £14.99) Sometimes a novel arrives at exactly the right time and speaks to you on every level. This is said book. West Indian Hubert Bird and his white girlfriend Joyce marry in the ’50s when racism was rife and life was hard for them. Yet their love never faltered, even when Joyce died. Flitting from past to present, widower Hubert has lied to his daughter Rose about having friends, and now has to make some before she visits from Oz. What begins as a fun enterprise results in a deeply touching portrayal of loss, loneliness and the power of human kindness that moves and inspires long after the last page. And in the wonderful Hubert Bird, Gayle’s created a delightfully understated hero who makes you want to do more and be better. ★★★★★