Us by David Nicholls

I bought Us by David Nicholls with my Christmas money, along with several other books, including Munichs and Small Rain. It was a real enjoyable light relief for me after reading Small Rain.

Published in 2014, Us is the fourth novel by Nicholls. After I enjoyed his latest novel, You Are Here, last year, I was inspired to read more of his work. I absolutely loved Sweet Sorrow and thought Starter for Ten wasn’t quite so good.

Us is the story of Douglas Petersen, a scientist in his early 50s, his wife Connie and their 17 year old son, Albie. Ahead of Albie going to university, Douglas has organised a Grand Tour of European countries to take in lots of art galleries.

But, just before they leave, Connie tells him she’s not sure she wants to be married to him any more. And Albie, who has always preferred his mum to his dad, doesn’t want to spend time wandering round Europe, with Douglas reciting what he’s learned from a guidebook. Despite this, they head off for Paris and then Amsterdam.

Douglas really, really loves his wife and son, but struggles to show Albie. His love manifests itself as nagging – wanting him to study the right subjects to get a meaningful career which will pay well. His love for Connie sometimes comes across as awkward.

The book is entirely narrated by Douglas. I love his sarcastic and confused narration about Albie. Us alternates between their travels, and the often difficult atmosphere between the three of them, and the history of Douglas and Connie’s relationship.

Will the holiday make or break their marriage?

Us by David Nicholls was made into a short BBC TV series in 2020, so I’d at least remembered the main thing that happens in the story. As I read, other parts of the story came back to me. But this didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book.

If you enjoy books about family and relationships, I would definitely recommend Us. I wouldn’t exactly call it romantic fiction, it is just a really good read with a good dose of humour.