Three brothers were close as children when they were by the lake but something happened that altered their lives and they had to leave. Now they are back to fulfil their mother’s final wishes. What happened and how were they affected? Read to find out.

I loved the the premise of this book and was eager to get in to it, however, it’s very slow paced and my initial excitement quickly dwindled. I won’t write a synopsis, as it’s already given, however, without giving any spoilers, I will say the relationship between the three brothers and their relationship with their parents are at times heart wrenching. Ben is the main character, although, it was Nils I had the most affinity for.

It was not a book I could just pick up when I had the odd minute, but one I had to purposely make time for, simply because I found it hard going. The writing is soulful and atmospheric, just hard going.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher, for my ARC of The Survivors in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
Three brothers convene at their childhood home after the death of their mother; but as we delve into their childhood memories the brother's fractured relationships are revealed and where something happened 20 years ago that has never been spoken about all surfaces again.

This was a slow past but atmospheric novel that drew me in slowly and then had me hooked.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

This is a tale of three brothers and the story takes us through times in their childhood and adulthood. Set in Sweden, the descriptions of the setting were idyllic.

The story jumps in the chapters between their childhood and adulthood and can get confusing. I appreciate the work that went into this book but it wasn’t a book that I overly enjoyed I’m afraid, it was too slow for my taste.

My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for a copy of the ARC in exchange for my review.

It isn't obvious from the outset what this book is trying to achieve. I assumed the siblings were living the carefree, 'off grid' sort of lifestyle that much is idolised about now. Not so...more is revealed as the story unfolds. You discover that the boys are in fact neglected and emotionally abused. The story tells of the brothers relationships, both past and present and something that you thought happened...did it really happen that way? The stories and family lore we tell ourselves and how trauma effects memory. The novel contains great descriptive passages about the Swedish forests, the remote cottage and the lake as seen through child eyes. A great book about emotions and place.

This novel jumps from past to present. It is set in Sweden and has settings of forests and lakes which I found interesting. The descriptions of the settings and scenes of a country I am not familiar with I really enjoyed.
This follows the story of three brothers. The book explores relationships particularly between siblings and parents.
An interesting read.

The book is well written and the characters are well developed. Still, the story overall is sad and depressing, but I felt like I was coming back to see how the characters ended up. Even after a few days after reading the book my mind kept going back to the story so I had to come back and give this book 3.5 stars just because it seems that it had some kind of impact over me.

** ARC provided by Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ***

This book tells the stories of three brothers following the death of their mother, looking back over the years through their childhood. Is this a memoir or fiction? it's hard to tell but it is super bleak. It's really a story of child neglect, trauma and the lifetime effects of this . Not quite what I was expecting but I thought it was well written all the same;.

I am not one to criticise writers ,or discourage them in any way. Unfortunately this book did absolutely nothing for me . I broke off twice and came back to it after reading other books . It just felt like a slow trudge through the lives of 3 brothers after the death of their mother . Perhaps , hopefully ,others will see it differently but sadly I cannot think of anything complementary to say about it .

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley. Unfortunately the writing style of this novel just wasn’t my cup of tea. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and I nearly fell asleep reading the novel at times… Apologies. #NetGalley #TheSurvivors

Alex Schulman – The Survivors
Hardback Release Date 07/10/2021
Thank you to Net Galley for an early digital copy of The Survivors, for my Kindle. This was an interesting and strange story that dips into child neglect and other strong issues.
I could feel the suspense from the first page, that sets the scene of the cottage where the brothers used to live over two decades ago, that had my wanting more.
During the story you get to know the three brothers who lived a love deprived childhood and I couldn’t help feeling sorry for these three boys. When their mother dies it brings the back together and back to the cottage where the truths unfold.
I found midway through I was getting fed up but I am glad that I kept going. It’s a sad and tragic story but beautiful.
#alexschulman
#thesurvivors
#netgalley
#littlebrownbookgroupuk

I will publish my review 2 weeks before release date on my social media platform @amandasreadingjourney on instagram

This book is fiendishly clever, in that it sort of begins at the end. Each chapter takes you back to just before the previous chapter started (I don't know if this is the best way of explaining it!), creating a narrative that is as fractured as the lives of the three brothers at its centre. As you begin to piece the story together, you learn of their traumatic and emotionally abusive childhood, their complex family relations and their own personal grievances, all of which centre around the holiday cabin where they are now, as adults, gathering to spread their mother's ashes. With the use of flashbacks and powerful storytelling, the writer keeps you gripped and compelled to the very last page.

I was sent a copy of this book for an honest review.

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into the style of writing, although I persevered for a long as I could. Apologies.

I was really looking forward to getting stuck into this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. It felt very bleak and as a result I found myself struggling to go back to it. It’s well written and there were some interesting twists, it just wasn’t for me.

I really don't know what I think of this book just wasn't what I expected it to be but maybe that's on me. I felt such empathy to the boys who were just desperate for love they didn't receive but I just wasn't pulled into the story

Thank you to #netgalley #littlebrownbookgroup and #AlexSchulman for my ARC copy of #TheSurvivors

Very much enjoyed this book, full of twists and turns with a surprising ending. Well written, believable characters and plot.

An isolated cottage surrounded by tall, dense trees, a police car trundling carefully down a tractor path towards it, three tear stained, beaten brothers and a tragedy that spans decades before. What has brought Nils, Benjamin and Pierre back to this place they haven’t visited for many years? The story is told from Benjamin’s perspective.

This is an unsettling, dark and raw novel about a dysfunctional family. The boys parents volatile relationship exacerbated by heavy drinking and their neglectful parenting is portrayed well creating an oppressive atmosphere of constant egg shell treading as they navigate the inconsistency. The oppression is echoed in the encroaching deep forest and the siblings emotions are also reflected in the natural world such as the depth of the lake. The brothers characters are easy to see as we witness their fallouts, laughs, resentments, betrayals and solidarity and as they grow into adulthood they are damaged by their experiences. This is not an easy read, it’s shocking in places, it’s a depressing, from tale but somehow it gets under your skin because it’s so raw and deeply felt and is about the survival of clinging on by your fingernails. It builds well between the siblings, there are so vivid scenes and descriptions as the events of preceding years lead up to something they’ve been keeping a lid on. The twist at the end is really good and it’s not one I anticipate. You feel so much empathy and sadness for Benjamin.

However, the non linear format of the storytelling, the jumping about in time does make it a confusing story to follow. I fully appreciate why ithe author has chosen to do this as we are following Ben’s memories that will obviously flit about and there’s also some inevitable concealment.

Overall though, this is well worth reading. The quality of the writing is good, there are some original turns of phrase, it’s an emotional rollercoaster novel and one I’m unlikely to forget.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown Book Group for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This setting of the book was beautiful and the description of Sweden's forests and were really enjoyable. The story jumps from past to present and it took some working out as to what part of the story I was at. Once I understood this I found it an enjoyable read.

I really liked the premise of this story, the intrigue and the setting enticed me. I did however struggle with the book itself and it is hard for me to put my finger on why. The writing is good and the atmosphere created feels tangible. The characters are well drawn and their individual quirks are clearly shared. Despite this I found myself skipping chunks of dialogue, sighing at the thought of 'having' to continue reading. It won't put me off reading other works by Alex Schulman but I might not hurry to the bookshop.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of The Survivors via NetGalley. I enjoyed this book, the constant feeling of impending doom and that something bad was going to happen really made me feel quite unsettled and on edge as I was reading it. I usually give up on books where I feel disconnected to the characters (and I really didn’t like any of them) but I did feel sorry for them and understood from personal experience why they were as they were. A very interesting read.