Head or Heart? Which one wins when it comes to marriage

Book review: Us - David Nicholls

Ok so I initially I thought I didn’t have anything to say about this book, but, you know what, I think I might just.

Another novel from the author of One day, I enjoyed the sarcastic/dry humour voice of the narrator. The book centres around Douglas and Connie. One night, Connie announces to Douglas that she wants to leave him, a teenage son and decades of marriage later. After Connie’s announcement, the couple go ahead with their pre planned tour of Europe with their son, Albie. After Douglas and Albie have a falling out, the rest of the book follows Douglas as he tries to find Albie, who ditches his parents mid tour. I’ll be honest, I couldn’t help but laugh at the melodrama of this part but hey.

The book did however, make me think a little about relationships, as Douglas, blindsided by his wife’s announcement, reflects on the last twenty years of marriage. You see, Douglas is a reliable, pretty vanilla, scientist kind of guy. Whereas Connie, a former artist, left her wilder partying days (complete with a passionate ex named Angelo of course) to settle for marital bliss. And so it got me thinking, head or heart, which one takes precedence when it comes to a decision as monumental as marriage.