Reviews

The Opposite of Lonely by Doug Johnstone

mcastello13's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I absolutely love this series - every book in it is so fantastic. Hopefully there are more to come, and soon! 

melwestemeier's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

booksbybindu's review

5.0

‘The Opposite of Lonely’ is the fifth book in the fantastic Skelf series and I loved everything about it! Although, this is part of a series you can read it as a standalone. However I do recommend reading it from the start of this has become one of my favourite series of all time!

When I see that white padded envelope arriving on the doormat my heart skips as beat as I know it contains the next instalment of the Skelf series! I instantly want to run and devour it, but part of me holds back as I want to try and savour these characters and if there is an unread book it means there is something to look forward to. However, I normally just shove my tbr pile to the side and start reading. Once again I devoured this book as I have done the previous four and then felt bereft when it was over. That time I get to spend with the Skelf is precious and lovely, it's like returning to a group of old friends each and every time.

This series is something special. I was in a local Waterstones with a friend recently and showed her the series and of course, made her buy the first book ‘A Dark Matter’ and described the premise - three generations of women running a funeral parlour/detective agency in Edinburgh. It struck me again that this is such a unique combination and there really is nothing else out there on the market quite like it. Trust me I read a lot of crime fiction and run an online indie bookshop that specialises in crime fiction and there really is nothing else like this series! Plus, on top of the basic premise we get discussions on astrophysics, examinations of the ‘big’ questions, a discussion of marginalised groups in society and whether you should really meet your heroes oh and the topic of green funerals! This is just in this book alone.

The book opens with Dorothy presiding over a funeral on Cramond Island. The deceased was a member of an alternative community based nearby and they are celebrating his life with music and other things…yes the Skelfs funerals are not always normal! There is a dramatic exit and the body doesn't end up where it should be! Dorothy becomes involved with the community and when one of their trailers is set alight she is determined to figure out what has happened. Jenny meanwhile, with an new inner sence of calm has been tasked with finding a family member, one she really doesn't want to reunite with. Hannah is given the opportunity to meet one of her heroes - the first Scottish woman in space. But she soon learns that Kiraty is been targeted online and is tasked with finding out who is behind it!

The main theme that runs through this book is the marginalisation of people and how this affects their lives. Dorothy is dealing with an alternative community, Hannah is searching for answers to keyboard warriors attacking a prominent figure. But the story that touched me the most was the ‘funeral crasher’. His grief and lack of power in a horrible situation really touched me and Doug managed to convey such empathy in his writing.

I really could carry on reading about the Skelfs forever. There is magic in these books and I love reading them. Roll on book six!

Let me know if you pick this one up!

kellyvandamme's review

5.0

First of all: a huge thankyou to Doug Johnstone for steering me clear of a reading slump! I hadn’t had the best time with reading. I struggled through book upon book until I came across one that almost bored me to tears and thus caused me to DNF, which I almost never do. On the brink of a reading slump, desperate to avert the crisis, I remembered what I did the last time I felt this way: I read Breakers by Doug Johnstone and it snapped me right out of my funk.

I figured what Doug did once, he could do again, especially when it involved a new instalment in one of my favourite series. Lo and behold, a few chapters later, I remembered why I love reading.

The Opposite of Lonely is the fifth Skelfs book, and it’s every bit as fantastic as its predecessors. In case you missed it, the Skelfs were first introduced in A Dark Matter in 2019. The paterfamilias had just died, leaving his wife Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah bereft. However, the Skelf women bounced back and throughout the sequels they have had to face A LOT but they’ve thrived and so has their dual business as undertakers / private investigators.

Note that you should probably read the other books first, because this one is full of spoilers. On the other hand, if you want to jump into this series without having to read a bunch of other books first, this is probably the book to do it with. (I’ll try not to judge you for it…)

The Opposite of Lonely is everything I’d been craving. Short chapters alternating between the three protagonists keep the momentum going. We’re hopping from Skelf to Skelf, from investigation to investigation, with some personal and funeral business issues, and quite a bit of thought-provoking wisdom about life thrown in for good measure. Flawless writing and impeccable timing ensure a fast-paced, riveting and well-rounded story that never gets confusing or overwhelming.

The Opposite of Lonely is quite simply brilliant. Words can’t express how much I love these women, how real they seem to me. I have to mention Jenny’s personal growth, her character arc is amazing, yet believable. I love how far she’s come and that she’s found her feet and her place in the world and in the family businesses and in the family itself.

At a time when I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to pick up a book again because you’re dying to know what happens next, The Opposite of Lonely had me put down my Kobo with the utmost reluctance and pick it up again with the utmost eagerness. It’s good to know I’m not broken and if I was, Doug fixed me

fhackland's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

portybelle's review

4.0

As always, Doug Johnstone grabbed my attention with a striking and memorable opening scene. A funeral on Cramond island, a race to beat the tide, a body swept out to sea. And from then on the pace of this book never let up. When Doug Johnstone writes a thriller, he’s not content with just one main plotline. In this book there are at least four or five different things going on with each of the Skelf women having their own particular cases to investigate. With short chapters from each of their points of view, the narrative is very fast-paced and I rattled through this book.

I do like the characters of the Skelf women. Reading one of these books feels a bit like meeting up with old friends now, albeit old friends who seem to attract danger wherever they go. The quieter background characters such as Archie and new recruit Brodie add their own substance to the plot. I’m not sure what I think of the new ‘water cremation’ way of dealing with a body even if it is more environmentally friendly of disposing of a body. There are a few uncomfortable scenes in the book dealing with abuse which make it quite a dark read at times. However, the darkness is always tempered by the love and support the Skelf women give each other, the respect given to the dead, the compassion shown to the grieving and the dark humour which suffuses the text.

The Opposite of Lonely is a great addition to the Skelfs series. Gripping, moving and tense, it has all the hallmarks of Doug Johnstone’s darkly compelling writing.

saraheholtom's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

liseyp's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Skelfs are back. Still recovering from the personal stresses of previous books they’re taking on new cases - investigatory and supportive - which challenge them in new ways. From missing cats, to online abuse, the still missing body of Hannah’s dad and the murder of a young girl from a hidden community on the edges of the city, the Skelfs have their hands full.

 

Once again I am astounded by how much story the author has packed into a sub-300 page novel. Three core investigations, marital strife, important consideration of the dynamics of power and the abuse of power in relationships, and a the always sensitive handling of grief and family dynamics. In any other author’s hands this would be several hundred pages longer, and yet I’m left totally satisfied as a reader. Everything I’d want from such storylines have been delivered, the plot and thoughts it has sparked will continue to bounce round my head for a long time to come.

 

I’m particularly happy with how Jenny is developing as a character. She’s always been the one slightly out of step with the rest of the Skelfs (for good reason), and in the previous book dealing with the trauma of her murderous ex-husband had sent her slightly off the rails. But, as the Opposite of Lonely progresses it’s Jenny who sees the most character growth and I’m very much here for that.

 

And, of course no Skelfs book would be complete without a fresh appreciation for and insight into the ways traditional funerals/cremations are damaging to the environment and how green alternatives should be the future.

raven88's review

5.0

I think it’s fair to say that Doug Johnstone is, without a doubt, one of the most accomplished author of recent years, with his books consistently displaying his versatility as a writer. Alongside his standalone novels, the Skelf series, of which The Opposite of Lonely is the fifth instalment, are emblematic of his desire as a writer to explore the themes of interconnectedness, death, family and community, with this book undoubtedly the strongest in these themes to date…

Before we explore this book further, I would implore you not to be dissuaded from reading this one in isolation from the others, if you are a Skelf virgin, so to speak. Although we are at the point where regular readers are heavily invested in this trinity of strong and determined women, you can comfortably enter these series at any point, and get a true sense of what has happened in their lives previously, and how each of them have to come to terms with the loss, violence and, moments of personal or emotional triumph at this juncture in their lives.

Many writers have a recurring motif in their books, and Johnstone’s is without a doubt, that of connection. As I previously wittered on about in a review of his last book, The Space Between Us there is no escaping the tenet of ‘only connect’,  the principle being that we should all endeavour to bridge the gap between one another regardless of race, religion, gender, sexuality or class, and that true connection is the nirvana of the relationship between us all. This is central to all three women in the book, where Dorothy, mother and grandmother, has a propensity to adopt waif and strays of the human and animal variety, to connect with people through music, to honour the memory of those that seemingly have no connection to anyone else, and to also show a generous spirit to people vilified by being viewed as outside of the community. This book sees the Skelfs connecting with an alternative community, ostracised by most, embraced by others, all feeding into this theme that everyone can connect at some level, despite the appearance of difference. Dorothy’s daughter, Jenny, who I think has probably endured more pain and suffering than any person should have to endure, is making connections with the past, and those that have wronged her personally, but refreshingly moving on and flourishing in the wake of her previous traumas. Jenny’s daughter Hannah, has a more cerebral state of connection, with her life and thoughts dominated by what lies beyond our earthbound experience, and what scientific secrets the universe holds. She, like Dorothy, also has an innate ability to connect with others across boundaries and lifestyles, but tempered with a more pragmatic view of life and the insignificance of our place within it. There’s a very interesting diversion in the book at one point on the ‘overview effect’ most commonly experienced by astronauts that really puts Hannah’s perception of the world into context. Every day is a school day when you read Johnstone’s books. But so much better than school…

There is no denying the strength of Johnston’s character building, and I can’t remember who said it, but in its simplest terms ‘plot is character’, and this series is absolutely indicative of that. As each woman strikes out on their own investigations or dealing with the travails of their lives, we are pulled along with them on their various paths, and what they experience, or seek to discover. As their paths in the story connect and separate we see the strength of the bond between them, and how they navigate and overcome obstacles to achieve justice or some kind of resolution in peoples’ lives. They are all a force of nature in their own singular way. Aside from the core strength of these three main characters, Johnstone uses the male characters, and Hannah’s wife Indy, in the book as a prism through which to view them. I was particularly enchanted by the slowly blossoming relationship between Archie (an employee at the funeral home and one of Dorothy’s ‘strays’) and Jenny. It will be particularly interesting to see how this one develops, alongside Brodie’s story, a funeral crasher, again ‘adopted’ by Dorothy.

Obviously I cannot fail to mention the role that death plays in the books, and the way that the circle of life is so integral to the Skelf’s business itself, and their personal approach to the subject too, particularly in the case of Dorothy.  Dorothy is always keen to embrace both the panopoly of alternative rituals, also exploring environmentally friendly body disposal, and how to afford some dignity to those who have no-one to mourn them with her communal funeral project. The stuff on a new water cremation method is fascinating, and pleasing to see the Skelfs acquiring their first ‘green’ burial site. To be honest, I could rattle on about The Opposite of Lonely for ages, as I haven’t even delved into how the theme of concealment looms large in this book, especially in one particularly seedy interlude, and how Edinburgh itself is once again a  significant backdrop to the book, but I feel I have yammered at you long enough, with my utter enthusiasm for both this book and the Skelf series in general.

If you’ve not read this series before, than pop your Skelf cherry as soon as possible would be my advice.

You won’t regret it.

If you are a follower of the series, get this next Skelf on your shelf.

It’s pure class.

frombethanysbookshelf's review

4.0

 

The highly anticipated fifth instalment in the marvellously macabre Skelfs series is here, and they are better than ever. Our ladies are picking themselves back up and getting themselves stuck into new cases that will lead them to the weirdest and wildest adventures all over again ... the Skelfs were just as warm, witty and wonderful as ever. They are absolutely delightful to read, full of real emotional and with beautiful connections between them that are a shining light even when their stories get to very dark places.

As our cases start to unravel and we investigate astronauts, fires, conspiracies and lost bodies - larger than life cases of strange occurrences that seem absurd but always manage to weave together in the most creative and exciting ways. Each individual Skelf woman has their own story, their own thoughts and feelings but their stories always end up together and I love watching them figure out their own mysteries as much as I love it when the team gets together. They're all unique, endearing and full of wicked humour and witty observations that never fail to make me smile. 

Every page is a new corner with a new clue, a new mystery - with a deliciously tense air of suspicious and anticipation that lasts all the way through. If you haven't met the Skelfs yet, here's your sign!