All the Lonely People overflows with poignant moments. Pick one that was the saddest or heartbreaking for you.

This book overflows with poignant moments. Pick one that was the saddest or most heartbreaking for you.

There were many sad and disturbing instances in this book from Hubert's struggle for survival, all he worked for being stolen from him, him being beaten, and it goes on. One of the saddest moments for me occurred with Hubert's reaction to his seeing his son when he and the group were handing out leaflets. It seemed to bring up all of his pent up anger that festered within him. It shut him down and set him back. Very sad.

The saddest moment for me was learning that Hubert’s daughter had died, and realizing the complicated web of lies he had constructed were all based around the original lie that she was still alive. I wanted him to accept support from his friends but seeing everything unravel put him too deeply into despair (and probably guilt about all the lies) to be ready to receive help.

Rose's death was the saddest moment for me. Hubert had already suffered so much loss and I was thrilled to think she was coming home to spend time with him. It seemed cruel that she was taken, too.

I agree the saddest moment was learning Rose had died. Overall, the book was very sad and not sure why the author chose so much sadness. I did like that the ending was uplifting.

I felt learning that Rose had actually died and Hubert was manufacturing a complicated story to deal with her death was tragic. It kept him from leading a real life.

The author's skill with those WOW moments that were gut-wrenching is masterful. I didn't see this one coming.

Hubert’s coming to the truth that his daughter had died and was never coming home brought me to tears. He had been so motivated to improve his connections to people before her visit home, and then discovering she would not be there to see how full his life had become—it was a sad surprise to me.

I totally agree. It was a "downer"moment but one that led us to wonder how Hubert would react. One of those Keep Reading to Learn More segments.

The saddest moment for me was when he brings David home and tries to help him only to have David refuse help and silently leave.

I found the whole book poignant - deeply affecting my feelings. After the shock of learning that Rose had died, I felt a deep sadness. Hubert's inability to help David was also heartbreaking. Hubert and Joyce had just moved into their new home when Joyce opened an envelope left at their door thinking it was a welcoming card only to find a hateful, racist message. I could go on and on.

There were a number of moments for me, too. I think the family traumas were particularly heartrending, like when Joyce was giving birth to their first child with no family around, or when she couldn't bear to visit David in rehab on his birthday.

I thought the saddest moment involved Hubert. His daughter died and he kept that a secret. He was so lonely.

For me, it was when he saw his son David living homeless on the streets, and said that his son was "dead to him". Hubert was unable to help him with his addiction problem.

The most poignant moment for me was when Hubert saw his son as a homeless person living in the streets.

The saddest was when Hubert admitted to Ashleigh that Rose had died five years earlier. It must have been almost impossible for him to verbalize that, because it must have comforted him to pretend that he and Rose had conversations. Now, he could no longer pretend and tell others that he had talked to her.

There were so many sad moments in this book. The death of his wife and the loss of his son to drugs were sad. But the one that took me by complete surprise was the death of Rose. He had worked so hard at overcoming his loneliness and now had friends. Then the burglary knocked his foundation out from under him. He was forced to face up to his lies and completely withdrew as a result.

I agree with the others that there are more sad moments than I can relate. All of the deaths and hardships have already been mentioned. I must say that the depth of the racism of that David and his wife face from her family set up the poignancy of the entire book.

For me the saddest thing was learning that Rose had actually died and his admission to Ashleigh was heartbreaking. It was the moment where I feel he actually acknowledged her death as real.

My heart dropped when Hubert said that his daughter was dead. It was crushing to hear that the calls had been a figment of his imagination. He wasn't deliberately lying. He was living in a delusion.

When Herbert admitted the death of his daughter, I realized how loneliness is not only sad for people but can also be classified mental illness and it took a village to treat him and make him well. I realized the depth of his pain.

On page 276 the author beautifully describes what is is like to be sitting vigil at a loved one's deathbed when they finally choose to let go. I wanted to ask him if he had experienced this scene because it is so realistic. The waiting is endless and the end is so quiet and final.

"Thank you, Joyce Pierce,"he whispered. "Thank you. For everything."

And then the lonely grief begins.