The Opposite Of Lonely by Doug Johnstone

 

Arson at a traveler site, the search for a missing person and the harassment of a female astronaut are just some of the cases the Skelf women are involved with, alongside the normal day-to-day running of their family funeral visit.

The Opposite Of Lonely from Doug Johnstone is the fifth book in the Skelf series. The series features Dorothy, the matriarch of the family, Jenny, Dorothy's daughter, and Hannah, Jenny's daughter. Together the women run a funeral business and have a sideline as private investigators. While the book can be read as a stand-alone story, real enjoyment comes from seeing how the family has developed. The "missing person" element of the book also recalls elements of the previous books in the series.

Doug Johnstone has a knack for writing opening chapters that immediately grab your attention and the first chapter in this book is no different. Featuring a funeral for a member of a traveler community which takes place on an island about to be cut off from the mainland by the tide, we see a race against time and some humor in the event. 

The funeral for the travelling community see's the Skelf's moving their funeral business in a new direction, trying to offer greener funerals. I found the plans for the business really informative, there's nothing nicer than learning something new as you read. The fact that the "something new" is about funerals is important, as one of the characters points out, death and funerals isn't an easy topic of conversation.

Supporting the Skelf women are Indy, Hannah's wife, and Archie, an employee at the funeral home. We also meet a new character, Brodie, who becomes part of the team. The way in which Brodie is introduced is intriguing to start with and then becomes heartbreaking. I am sure that Brodie's backstory will resonate with many people.

While the storyline featuring the harassment of the female astronaut isn't the main one it does give us the overall theme of the book, connectedness. We have connections with family and friends, along with connections with the greater community. However, we have to work to keep the connections. Then there is a much greater connection, to the planet and the universe. I felt this fit well with the theme of the author's last book, The Space Between Us (please don't let the thought of this being a sci-fi story put you off reading, it is wonderful).

As one of the stories is concluded pretty peacefully, the other two lead to danger. One thread in particular had me very worried about the possible direction of a supporting character. I was so distressed about the possibility I didn't want to read on. Even though the story didn't take the route I thought it was going to, the ending was still nerve-wracking and had me fearing we'd seen the end of characters I'd grown to know and love.