Hubert Bird is a busy retiree in London—lots of friends, bingo, and outings to the garden center. Or at least that’s what he tells his daughter in their weekly phone calls. But Hubert is actually a recluse, who misses his late wife and the Jamaica of his youth.

Hubert could have maintained his fantasy life for years had his daughter not announced that she was coming to visit from Australia. Hubert is in a panic, forced to build a busy social life in a matter of weeks.  Fortunately, although Hubert doesn’t see it that way at first, a young woman and her child move in next door.

If the plot sounds similar to that of A Man Called Ove, that’s because it is very similar! I enjoyed All the Lonely People in spite of the recognizable plot; we can always use another feel-good story!