ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE

Shortlisted for the Book of the Year and by the bestselling author of 'Half A World Away.' In phone calls to his daughter in Australia, widower Hubert Bird paints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun and friendship. But he is lying. Something has made him turn his back on people, and he hardly sees a soul. So when his daughter announces she is coming to visit, Hubert faces a race against time - to make his real life resemble his fake life before he's found out. Along the way Hubert renews a cherished friendship, is given a second chance at love, and even joins an audacious community scheme, but with the secret of his earlier isolation lurking in the shadows, is he destined to always be one of the lonely people? Deeply touching, warm and funny, the characters are warm and so real and the issues of loneliness and displacement topical and important in this touching portrayal of loss, loneliness, and the power of human kindness. 357pp, paperback.