Us

'I was looking forward to us growing old together. Me and you, growing old and dying together.''Douglas, who in their right mind would look forward to that?'Douglas Petersen understands his wife's need to 'rediscover herself' now that their son is leaving home. He just thought they'd be doing their rediscovering together.So when Connie announces that she will be leaving, too, he resolves to make their last family holiday into the trip of a lifetime: one that will draw the three of them closer, and win the respect of his son. One that will make Connie fall in love with him all over again.The hotels are booked, the tickets bought, the itinerary planned and printed. What could possibly go wrong?David Nicholls brings to bear all the wit and intelligence that graced One Day in this brilliant, bittersweet novel about love and family, husbands and wives, parents and children. 'I loved this book. Funny, sad, tender: for anyone who wants to know what happens after the Happy Ever After.'  Jojo Moyes'Wonderful. A novel that manages to be both truly hilarious and deeply affecting. I loved it.'  S J Watson'A wrenching examination of a journey through Europe that goes terribly wrong and a consideration of what it means to be a parent today.'  Guardian'As many emotions as air miles.'  Observer'Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love, this time about a type of relationship often neglected as unsexy - the long-married couple. Yet greater longevity, female economic independence and the baby-boomer sense of entitlement to perpetual happiness has led to a spike in fiftysomething divorces. Long marriages are no longer seen as becalmed seas, albeit with chilly, hidden depths, but in as constant flux as younger partnerships. Nicholls has demographics on his side, along with his wry, plaintive but ever hopeful words.'  The Times 'For those who loved One Day, the author's latest is another heart-grabber about discovering what makes us happy and learning to let go.'  Library Journal'Us is a perfect book.'  Independent'Those who loved Nicholls's last novel, One Day, will not be disappointed. Us has many of the same qualities, including an almost magical readability. Though it is an ambitious novel, intricately patterned, which tackles complex and subtle themes, it has the furious pace of a thriller. Each time I put the book down, I stared in disbelief at the number of pages I had just covered; by the end, I was having to ration myself for fear of coming to the end too soon.'  Daily Mail