After his bestselling love story about finding a partner, Nicholls' new book Us will look at holding on to one
One Day soon … David Nicholls' new book is due in September. Photograph: Andy Hall
In his hugely popular novel One Day, David Nicholls explored the search for a soulmate through the long-drawn-out love affair between Em and Dex. Five years on, Nicholls is set to take on "the bond of marriage and the demands of parenthood" in his long-awaited new novel Us.
Out this autumn, Us will tell the story of Douglas Peterson, whose son, Albie, is about to leave for college, and whose wife of 21 years, Connie, is planning to leave soon afterwards. But first, there will be the summer holidays – a "Grand Tour" of Europe's major cities – over the course of which Douglas will "devise a plan to win back the love of his wife and repair his troubled relationship with his son".
It's a "comedy about the demands of living together, about parenthood, about the relationship between reason and emotion, art and science, parents and children, middle-age and youth", said publisher Hodder & Stoughton, announcing a release date of 30 September for Us. And, as Douglas looks back to the start of his relationship with Connie, it's "the history of a family, recounted over the course of what may well be their final weeks together".
Nicholls said the book was partially inspired by his travels through Europe publicising One Day, "visiting all the extraordinary places that I'd have loved to have seen as a backpacking teenager but never got the chance … So Us is a road trip, with all the pleasures and disasters of a long, difficult journey," he said. "It's a love story of course, and I hope there's the same mixture of comedy and drama that I've strived for in the other books. But it's also about family – the bond of marriage and the demands of parenthood."
Nicholls' previous novel One Day tells of Emma and Dexter, who meet on the night of their graduation, taking a glimpse at their lives on the same day every year, for the next 20 years.
Published in 2009, One Day has now sold five million copies around the world. Nicholls is also the author of the novels Starter for Ten and The Understudy.
Out this autumn, Us will tell the story of Douglas Peterson, whose son, Albie, is about to leave for college, and whose wife of 21 years, Connie, is planning to leave soon afterwards. But first, there will be the summer holidays – a "Grand Tour" of Europe's major cities – over the course of which Douglas will "devise a plan to win back the love of his wife and repair his troubled relationship with his son".
It's a "comedy about the demands of living together, about parenthood, about the relationship between reason and emotion, art and science, parents and children, middle-age and youth", said publisher Hodder & Stoughton, announcing a release date of 30 September for Us. And, as Douglas looks back to the start of his relationship with Connie, it's "the history of a family, recounted over the course of what may well be their final weeks together".
Nicholls said the book was partially inspired by his travels through Europe publicising One Day, "visiting all the extraordinary places that I'd have loved to have seen as a backpacking teenager but never got the chance … So Us is a road trip, with all the pleasures and disasters of a long, difficult journey," he said. "It's a love story of course, and I hope there's the same mixture of comedy and drama that I've strived for in the other books. But it's also about family – the bond of marriage and the demands of parenthood."
Nicholls' previous novel One Day tells of Emma and Dexter, who meet on the night of their graduation, taking a glimpse at their lives on the same day every year, for the next 20 years.
"'I can imagine you at forty,' she said, a hint of malice in her voice. 'I can picture it right now.' UHe smiled without opening his eyes. 'Go on then.'"
Published in 2009, One Day has now sold five million copies around the world. Nicholls is also the author of the novels Starter for Ten and The Understudy.
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