Even death needs company…
The Skelf women are recovering from the cataclysmic events that nearly claimed their lives. Their funeral-director and private-investigation businesses are back on track, and their cases are as perplexing as ever.
Matriarch Dorothy looks into a suspicious fire at an illegal campsite and takes a grieving, homeless man under her wing. Daughter Jenny is searching for her missing sister-in-law, who disappeared in tragic circumstances, while grand-daughter Hannah is asked to investigate increasingly dangerous conspiracy theorists, who are targeting a retired female astronaut … putting her own life at risk.
With a body lost at sea, funerals for those with no one to mourn them, reports of strange happenings in outer space, a funeral crasher with a painful secret, and a violent attack on one of the family, The Skelfs face their most personal – and perilous – cases yet. Doing things their way may cost them everything…
Tense, unnerving and warmly funny, The Opposite of Lonely is the hugely anticipated fifth instalment in the unforgettable Skelfs series, and this time, danger comes from everywhere…
It might be back to school week and looking increasingly autumnal, but the #SkelfSummer celebrations continue, ahead of the publication of Living is a Problem, the sixth book in Doug Johnstone's masterful Skelfs series. This week, I'm looking back at The Opposite of Lonely, probably my favourite in the series so far. As always, many thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part and to Danielle at Orenda Books for organising the Skelf summer celebration.
The Opposite of Lonely is the fifth book in Doug Johnstone's superlative Skelfs series and despite each of the previous instalments being novels of the highest quality, I think this might just be the best yet. There will obviously be a greater emotional impact for readers who have followed Dorothy, Jenny, Hannah and their friends since the beginning, but Doug Johnstone skilfully draws in newcomers to the Skelfs too and while I highly recommend treating yourself to the whole series, it is perfectly possible to start here.
The narrative is shared between the three Skelf women and there surely can't be a more heartfelt, authentic depiction of female characters in fiction; each is so richly brought to the page, it's hard to accept they aren't actually running a combined funeral directors and private investigator business in Edinburgh! One of my favourite aspects of the series is its empathetic portrayal of the death business; I've mourned the deaths of several of my loved ones and consequently think of the subject fairly often – it's so refreshing to see it examined openly and without resorting to euphemisms. The Skelfs are moving towards more environmentally friendly funerals here; it's an important topic to consider and I hope it will encourage some readers to think about their future wishes.
An unusual, lively celebration following the death of a man who clearly lived his life well results in one of the cases the Skelf women are drawn into investigating. Attitudes towards the Travelling community and those who live transient lives are explored throughout The Opposite of Lonely and it seems that the prejudiced bigotry they face may have escalated into violence after a caravan belonging to two young women is set on fire. As the oldest of the Skelf women, Dorothy is arguably the most surprising, given she eschews what is widely accepted to be the more conservative, even judgemental perspective of the older generation. We're perhaps all guilty of making assumptions about people and she is a wonderful reminder that anybody can be open-minded about lifestyles different from their own. She doesn't have an easy time, however, and this harrowing investigation impacts her personal life as well as her body and mind.
The mental health of Jenny and Hannah has featured throughout the series, with Jenny in particular understandably struggling with the aftermath of the traumatic, violent events of the past. However, her friendship with Archie and the therapy she has received find her stronger here and while she still has a tendency to be rather caustic at times, this is a more balanced Jenny who, in trying to honour the last wishes of her mother-in-law, may finally find the closure she has been searching for. Jenny is the most challenging of the Skelf women and I love that Doug Johnstone allows her to be both abrasive and compassionate.
Meanwhile, Hannah's dreams of exploring space take an unexpected turn after she is introduced to Kirsty, a retired Scottish astronaut who asks her to investigate the conspiracy theorists who have already doxxed her and are becoming impossible to just ignore. A terrible discovery followed by an unexpected night hint at dangerous secrets and this subplot is tense and surprising. However, it's a brutal murder which proves to be the most shocking investigation the Skelfs become involved with and the repercussions are terrifying – without giving anything away, the case is especially relevant and thought-provokingly unsettling given recent real-life atrocities.
This is contemporary crime fiction as its grittiest and yet The Opposite of Lonely abounds with warmth, wit and perhaps most notably, hope. As Doug Johnstone inspires us to contemplate the interconnectedness between people, right down to our very atoms and extending into the universe itself, the result is a novel which is intensely uncompromising and yet really rather beautiful. I thought it was utterly wonderful and cannot recommend it highly enough.
The Opposite of Lonely is published by Orenda Books. It can be ordered from their website, further publishing links can be found here.
Look out for the #SkelfSummer hashtag throughout August and into September.
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