Book info

• Title Us
• Author David Nicholls
• Year 2014
• Genre Contemporary

Douglas and Connie - scientist and artist, husband and wife - live a quiet and quietly unremarkable life in the suburbs of London. Until, suddenly, after more than twenty years of marriage, Connie decides she wants a divorce. Heartbroken but determined, Douglas comes up with the perfect plan: he is going to win back the love of his wife and the respect of Albie, their teenage son, by organising the holiday of a lifetime. The hotels are booked, the tickets bought, the itinerary planned and printed. What could possibly go wrong?

Thoughts

Firstly, I must say this is a good story, interestingly written, and coming to a great conclusion. But even with that in mind, I can’t really tell whether I enjoyed it or not. I liked the way the story dipped back and forth between the uncomfortable present and the difficult past, and I really did like the ending - it left me with something of a warm glow.

But it was hard work getting through it, mostly because none of the characters were particularly nice. It’s always good to have flawed characters, but you just sort of felt like these two people should never have been together and were fighting for something that really wasn’t worth saving. Which made it frustrating.

I did like Kat, though, and the conversations with Freja. Those were good bits, and most of the dialogue was interesting and believable. Good book, but not my favourite, I’d say.

Rating: 3 / 5