Us: A Novel

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, November 2014: At an ungodly hour one summer morning, a time when most of us cannot digest a simple greeting let alone any grand revelation, Douglas Petersen’s wife, Connie, informs him that she doesn’t want to be married anymore. Or rather, she’s not sure. Mind you, this is no fickle woman and this is not an admission she makes lightly. Connie and Douglas have been together, and happily so, for almost two decades. They have a son, Albie, more a chip off his artistic mum than biochemist dad, and that has strained the father-son dynamic. Will an ill-timed family vacation provide the opportunity Douglas needs to repair both relationships? With humor and with heart, David Nicholls of One Day fame takes us through every bumbling but well-meaning attempt in service to this goal. Lest you think the premise wreaks of a rom-com starring Hugh Grant, it is not a story tied up with a neat little bow. Nor is the precarious marriage portrayed as a consequence of cinematically-friendly scenes like slamming doors, flying frying pans, or people leaving the toilet seat up on purpose. Instead, Us delicately and intelligently untangles one of the more complex, heart-wrenching and relatable of relationship struggles—one in which there isn’t a villain to blame. You’ll be rooting for this family, and for another fine achievement from David Nicholls. –Erin Kodicek