The Man Booker Prize-longlisted follow-up to the multimillion-copy bestselling One Day. Jojo Moyes says, 'I loved this book. Funny, sad, tender: for anyone who wants to know what happens after the Happy Ever After.'
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. Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2014.
'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?
Read Caroline Baum's Review
Five years after One Day, this proves that Nicholls is no one-trick fluke when it comes to grasping the dynamics of relationships. With echoes of The Rosie Project polarities (husband who is a bit priggish, wife who craves spontaneity) this set up hinges on a marriage gone stale played out against the backdrop of a coming of age Grant Tour style holiday with a lethargic and graceless teenage son. You can almost smell the potential.
About the Author
David Nicholls trained as an actor before making the switch to writing. His TV credits include the third series of Cold Feet, Rescue Me, and I Saw You, as well as a much-praised modern version of Much Ado About Nothing and an adaptation of Tess of the D`Urbervilles, both for BBC TV. David has continued to write for film and TV as well as writing novels, and he has twice been nominated for BAFTA awards.
David`s bestselling first novel, Starter For Ten, was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club in 2004, and David has written the screenplays for film versions of both Starter For Ten (released in 2006, starring James McAvoy) and The Understudy (not yet released). His third novel, One Day, was published in hardback in 2009 to extraordinary critical acclaim, and stayed in the Sunday Times top ten bestseller list for ten weeks on publication.
Industry Reviews
I was having to ration myself for fear of coming to the end too soon. * Mail on Sunday *
The kind of book that reminds us what it means to be alive. * Good Housekeeping *
US is a perfect book. * Independent *
This very funny, wise and bittersweet novel was in my view even more enjoyable than Nicholls' previous bestseller One Day. * Daily Express *
As he proved in One Day, Nicholls is brilliant at picking apart modern life with all its hopes, disillusionments and regrets, and marrying it to a gently heartbreaking narrative. * Observer *