Susan Johnson's Reviews > Us

Us tells the story of a disintegration of the twenty five year marriage of Douglas and Connie. There are no major blow ups but it is a just a relationship that it is worn out. There is not enough passion to be angry but Douglas is resisting the break up. He still loves his wife.

They decide to still do their month long tour with their 17 year old son, Albie, touring Europe from one corner to another. Douglas is hoping to rekindle the romance and Connie, frankly, just seems to want to travel with their little family one more time. Albie, like all teen-agers ready for college, wants to go by himself. He very grudgingly goes along.

For an American the European tour is just breathtaking. I just can't wrap my mind around how easy it is to travel in Europe. In four hours they have been flying over many countries. In four hours I can't even get out of California in any direction. I love the train travel stories and just the ease of getting around.

Douglas is a scientist and quite smug about it. He can not imagine anyone wanting to do anything else. When Albie decides he wants to be a photographer, Douglas is appalled. He tells his son anyone can do that. It's only a select few that can be a scientist and make a real difference. I thought who would be that insensitive? Then I realized that Douglas is a real life Sheldon Cooper from "The Big Bang Theory." He has the same traits as Sheldon in not knowing how he sounds to other people, his amazement that anybody would want to be anything but him and his inability to pick up cues from other people.
In one episode Douglas creates a Lego sculpture then glues it so Albie can not destroy it. He is sure he will be greeted with applause and great awe. Instead Albie cries because he can no longer use his Legos. Douglas is bewildered and I could see this scene on "Big Bang".

Needless to say Douglas and Albie have a troubled relationship and how things unfold create new stresses. It's that exploration of how to repair things that is quite interesting. None of the characters are particularly likable. Douglas is Sheldon Cooper, Connie often mocks him and helps wedge some dislike between father and son, and Albie, like most 17 year olds feels he is quite entitled.

By the end of the book, I was glad I had met them but I was very tired of them. It was just like I had spent a month with family travelling around Europe.