The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Selvon, Sam. The Lonely Londoners. Penguin Random House UK, 2021.

Sam Selvon’s novel, The Lonely Londoners, written from a third person omniscient point of view, follows the lives of a community of Caribbean immigrants in London, post World War II. At the outset of the narrative, Moses travels to Waterloo Station to meet a newcomer, Galahad. He sees an old acquaintance at the train station, Tolroy who invited his mother to join him in London but finds that she brought the entire family with her from Trinidad. Moses is shocked when Galahad disembarks the train clad in a tropical suit with no luggage. The newcomer is optimistic that he will find work quickly and procure everything he needs in the new city. Moses explains the cultural landscape in London and warns Galahad that white Londoners uphold racist cultural edicts, through a veil of diplomacy.

The next morning, when Galahad travels to the employment exchange, he feels overwhelmed by the city and is glad when he sees Moses. He applies for a position as an electrician but is told that none are available. Moses explains that all clerical and skilled positions are reserved for white men and Black applicants are consigned to manual labor. Moses reminisces about his arrival in London years before and his time living in a hostel. At the boarding house, he met Cap a notorious loafer who refused to find a job and spent his time smoking and entertaining lady friends. He also met Bart at the hostel, who pretended to be Latin American and fell in love with a white woman named Beatrice. When he met her family, Beatrice’s father threw him out of the house with poorly concealed racist derisions.

Tolroy finds housing and employment for his family on Harrow Road. His brother-in-law Lewis, becomes convinced that his wife, Agnus, is having an affair and begins to beat her. Initially, she stays at Tanty’s house while he calms down but eventually, with Tanty’s support, leaves him and charges him with assault. Shortly after, Lewis embraces his life as a bachelor and starts dating someone else. Meanwhile, Tanty establishes her life in London by creating a community with other women at the local shops. She thinks it is inequitable that the shopkeepers demand that they pay for their purchases up front and convinces them to extend credit to the entire community.

During the summer, Moses and his friends go liming in Hyde Park, flirting with women and pursuing sexual affairs. The winter brings depression over the city and the Caribbean immigrant community but the characters’ trudge through the fog and melancholy in anticipation of another summer. Their work and social lives are punctuated by institutionalized and colloquial racism. Despite Galahad’s attempt to assimilate into London with stylish western dress, he is derided by white Londoners. The women that the Jamaican and Trinidadian friends date want them to reflect the stereotypes of Black men that they see in the movies and media. Moses questions the meaning of his life and if he has anything to show for the decade he has spent living in London.

One particularly harsh winter, Galahad decides to snatch a pigeon from the park for food. As he grabs the wild bird, a woman in a fur coat pops out of the park and calls him a monster while hailing a policeman to reprimand him. Later, Cap begins catching the seagulls, that perch on his window ledge, for sustenance. Moses and Galahad reminisce about Trinidad and Moses confesses that he would return if he had the financial means. However, he continues to live in London, and finds hope in the stories of cab drivers and porters writing bestselling novels.