Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Review: Us

Us
By David Nicholls
Harper October 2014
392 pages
Received for review from TLC Book Tours and the publisher

Us

Douglas Petersen knows that change is on the horizon for his small family. His only son Albie will soon leave for college and Douglas and his wife Connie will have readjust to a quiet house. The Petersen family is scheduled to embark on a European tour when Connie drops a major bombshell: she is considering leaving him. They decide to go on their trip anyway. While his wife sees it as one final hurrah for the Petersen family, Douglas is determined to win back his wife and keep his family together. 

There are many books about the beginning of relationships - the butterflies before the big date, first kisses, and the phone calls that last for hours. It's harder to find a book about the moment when you still love someone, but you have fallen out of love with them. Us gives us a complete picture of a family by showing them at various points during their lives together. As Douglas tries to save his family, he thinks back to meeting his wife, their early days of dating, and the years they have spent raising their son.

Douglas is really clueless about a lot of things, particularly when he tries to wrap his scientist mind around the artistic leanings of his wife and son. But he does have a delightfully wry sense of humor. When Douglas and a friend discuss a statue of Ursula, the virgin saint, we get this exchange:
'The moral is, don't go to Cologne,' said Freja.
'I went to a conference in Cologne. I thought it was a charming city.'
'But were any of you virgins?'
'Well, we were all biochemists, so yes - almost certainly.'

The frustrating thing about this story is just how long it takes each family member to really try to connect with the others. While Connie and Albie are close, Douglas has trouble understanding them and they make little effort to connect with him. I wanted better for all of them and I wished that they had taken the time before their European getaway to make an effort. Each one of them are irritating with their selfishness but their inability to articulate what they need seems all too easy to understand. 

David Nicholls has a unique ability to truly immerse readers in the lives of his characters. By the time you close one of his books, you feel as if you know these people inside and out. The writing is lovely and Us perfectly combines the story of love, commitment, and family with an entertaining jaunt through Europe.



Want some more opinions? Check out other reviews at TLC Book Tours.



11 comments:

  1. This sounds good, and the example of the humor you shared made me smile. One for the wish list, for sure. Thanks for the great review!

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    1. That one made me chuckle too! I think the humor was really essential because it was sad how these characters loved each other but couldn't be what the others needed them to be.

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  2. I'm on the fence about this one. I thought the *idea* behind his first book, One Day, was genius but the execution was sorely lacking. I have the feeling that his new book might feel the same way to me..this would definitely fall under a "wait for the paperback" heading for me.

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    1. That's fair. I liked it but it never felt like one of those books I just could not wait to pick up again.

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  3. I really enjoyed Us! I thought it might be merely a light, humorous read, but there was a real depth, I thought, to the character of Douglas, and to some of Nicholl's insights on long marriages. As someone who's been married a long time, and as the parent of a teenager, there was a lot I could relate to in this book. Nicholls is right on the mark, in some ways, about what it can be like to parent a teen--you would do anything for them, but they know just how to push your buttons . . .and you can tell they think you don't understand them at all! The ending, I thought, packed quite an emotional punch.

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    1. I kept oscillating back and forth throughout the story. I couldn't decide if the marriage and the family could (or should) be saved! The aspect of not knowing is a plus, I think.

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  4. That inability to see the things that are right in front our faces is a failing that I'm sure many of us share with these characters. This sounds like a book I would very much enjoy! Thanks for being a part of the tour.

    - Heather J @ TLC Book Tours

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    1. It is a problem many of us have, isn't it?? Thanks for having me on the tour, Heather. :)

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  5. Oh, this sounds great! Good thing because I just requested the audio for review - can;t wait to listen now! Thanks for the review -

    Sue

    Book By Book

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  6. I really loved this book, especially the humor -- the passage you quoted is a great example. However, as someone who's raised 3 teenagers, I kept wondering why Douglas and Connie let Albie get away with his bad behavior!

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  7. I loved Douglas and especially his sense of humor! I didn't find Douglas frustrating, but by the end, I was definitely hoping he wouldn't end up working things out with Connie. I found her and Albie very frustrating

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