I purchased David Nicholls’ Man Booker-nominated novel “Us” with no prior knowledge of Nicholls’ lovely style, humor, or past body of work, only intrigued by the seemingly simple– and sad– plotline. Man loses wife. Man begins to lose grip on son. Man, wife, and son embark on a “Grand European Tour.” Sounded like the makings of a Hollywood movie.
And there are, indeed, highly cinematic moments in “Us”— moments that seem written explicitly to be adapted to the screen, such as the scenes of comedy that veer too far into slapstick (for example, when Douglas suffers from an unfortunate sunburn in Italy, or when he purchases bizarre running shoes that mold to his feet in Venice). But fundamentally, “Us” paints a picture of the desperation of middle age, the fear one feels when one realizes that everything you’ve grown accustomed to might be suddenly taken away, and one’s ultimate peace in accepting this.
“Us” tells the story of a rigid and unintentionally humorous (he’s the butt of many of the book’s jokes) biochemist, Douglas, who has been married to the free-spirited, former artist Connie for many years when she announces in the middle of the night that she’s leaving him. Their teenage son, Albie, is about to leave for university, and they had planned to spend his last summer touring Europe to see the great art of the continent. Connie wishes to still go through with this trip, and Douglas latches all his hopes for winning her back onto making the trip as successful– as “perfect”– as possible. Of course, everything falls apart– and thrillingly so– immediately.
The book gives much-needed insight into both flawed marriages and flawed parenting. I found myself aching for both Connie and Douglas in turn. Somehow, despite a limited first-person narration, Nicholls is able to illuminate the perspective of both Douglas’ naive but ultimately good-hearted son and his wife. He illuminates a harsh reality — this, despite the humor and theatrical elements of the book: that sometimes, two people can love each other and create a life together, but that a marriage can run its course.