I had such high hopes for this one. For me, I was lost from the beginning. Nothing just seemed to make sense, and it annoyed the crap out of me

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to read this one because I changed my kindle email address and forgot to update it on Netgalley, so it never arrived to my device. *facepalm*

When their mother passes, three estranged brothers Nils, the eldest, Pierre, the youngest, & Benjamin, the middle child., return to their lake side cottage, where a terrible event shaped their family forcing them to re-face their trauma.

I couldn't connect and the characters were hard to like but it's well written and a bit heart breaking.

This book had me hooked from page one! My favorite part of reading this genre is when there are unexpected twists and turns, and the author of this novel delivered. Would definitely recommend!

A dark and haunting look at three brothers who return to the cottage where unspeakable tragedy shaped their lives.
.
These brothers, for better or worse, lives were definite in this cottage and now they must discover if their loyalty to each other will be their unraveling.
.
Fast paced, this haunting book will sit with you long after the book is shut.
.
Thank you #doubleday and #NetGalley for an advanced copy.

There’s intensity and immediacy here, but for all the comparisons with McEwan and Snuggie Bains, the book never reaches memorable heights.

Like what others have said, I did wait until I could get it from the library to read it since I couldn't get it on my Kindle though. It is hard for me to read on my phone for long periods of time. However, that itself didn't affect my opinion on this book.

Say it with me: Depressing and horrific memories of three brothers do not make a thriller. This was not a thriller at all, more like a family drama with dark elements.

It was very slow moving, but was very atmospheric. I did appreciate that - I felt like I was in Sweden at the cabin.

I found myself cringing a lot. I felt like a voyeur into these cringe worthy memories of their childhood. None of the boys/men were likable (which would be fine IF this was actually a thriller).

Elements that I hate in stories kept popping up and it made me want to throw the book - talk of urination and siblings describing sibling genitalia. All of that could've been cut out because none of it advanced the story at all.

I did like the dual timelines, but the time jumps within those dual timelines really threw me off. The twist? I'm just confused. Not sure if it was a twist, but I'm just overall confused who/what Molly is.

Three brothers take a trip to their childhood vacation home to fulfill their deceased mother's wishes. Their unconventional childhood and the incidents of the past are dredged up along the way.

This was a very odd book...I'm not sure how I felt about the story overall. Even understanding "the accident" and how that tore the family apart, I couldn't help but think that the parents were much to blame for everything, as they were borderline neglectful and potentially even abusive towards their children. Schulman does a great job of transporting you two Sweden, and the brothers and their story quickly and easily came alive for me. But the story itself felt awkward and cringe-worthy at times. I almost felt like a voyeur reading about something private that was written with a veil of sentimentality or longing, but to me, as an audience member, just felt sad and strange.

I will read anything Fredrik Backman recommends. I’ve never been disappointed by his recommendations. This book is the story of 3 brothers and their parents and alternates from moments in their childhood (moving forward in time) and a single day in their adult lives where they have come together (moving backward in time). The timelines did confuse me a bit, one of those books where I had to flip back and reread to make sure I understood.. Overall this was a powerful story and a fast read, was able to finish it in a few hours. I expected just a little more than I got from the ending, but still a worthwhile read

The Survivors with its dysfunctional family deals with the human psyche and has a dark and intricate setting. With a timeline that goes from past to present and then from present to past, it requires concentration to follow the plot. If you read with patience, you will be surprised at the ending.

This is emotional and thrilling, a page turning ride that never let up on my heartstrings. Look no further for a novel that will make you so invested you'll be sad when it's over.

I'm unfortunately not able to read this book because of the format so I cannot review it at this moment.

Special thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I'm not sure what to rate this one. It was just a very depressing story about three brothers, told from one point of view. There was a lot of back and forth that was confusing but I just felt such empathy as these three brother's grow up together. Its all about survival. I may be strange because this book was a bit depressing and I like depressing sometimes because it makes my depressive state I'm in not feel so lonely.

I don't think this book is for everyone. There is abuse, drugs, mental problems, but then again its also about 3 brother's and how they came through it, though not unscathed and also a little twist at the end which always makes for a good book.

The pretty cover & wonderful endorsements really drew me to this one & I really wanted to love it but sadly that wasn’t the case

This book is about three brothers and how they all remember childhood events differently. I was immediately intrigued because of my own childhood with two sisters and our differing experiences.

I’ll say this novel was very depressing with no real light at the end of the tunnel. This is only Schulman’s debut so I look forward to giving him another chance — but I really should have DNFed this one.

I have been curious about this one since the beautiful cover first caught my attention. Three brothers return to the cabin in Sweden where they spent many summers as children after their mother's death. Told in two timelines - with the past moving forwards and the present moving backwards - both timelines come from the middle son, Benjamin's perspective as he relates both the memories of his childhood traumas and the present grief he shares with his brothers.

It's a quick and compelling read. I didn't expect myself to read it in just one sitting, but that's exactly what happened. The ending's twist - and the surprise of their mother's last words particularly shocked me. I think that this book would certainly serve as a good discussion starter for book clubs and other groups. But I must admit that I wanted a bit more character development. And definitely more details about their parents than what is included in the narrative. But, I really couldn't put this one down and would definitely be interested to read more from Schulman in the future!

Fast paced and thoroughly transporting. I did not see the end coming. What I particularly liked is that the writing was absolutely beautiful. The characters were complicated and heartbreaking. And that end? It made me want to read it all over again just to find out if there were any clues.

I was excited to see Fredrik Backman's praises for this book, so I was looking forward to something similar or at least have a mix of lightheartedness with moments of emotional depth. I couldn't shake the feeling that this story was depressing for the sake of being depressing. In case you weren't sad enough by an upsetting scene, more horrific memories of these three brothers were piled on again and again. The story itself also felt very show.

The book still had its moments, of course. The writing may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed the unique style of it. The brothers were also well-developed, and I'll likely be thinking of them for a while.

The one word description for this book would be.....unforgetable. Once your mind's camera has seen and recorded the lives of these three brothers, with all of their scars, visible and invisible, you'll not be able to forget them.
The brothers have survived a pretty horrible upbringing with two of them running as far and as fast as they could from their home and memories. They all come back to the scene of their worst days to scatter the ashes of their mother. This reunion triggers so many dark memories, you wonder how the author could have been carrying this story in his mind.
While a dark telling of a broken family, The Survivors is also an excellent read that pulls you into the story and keeps you there until the end. It's not a long read, just a truly unforgetable one.

This book is being marketed as having similarities to ATONEMENT, which is true. Although an important point needs to be made: that book had romance at its core, whereas THE SURVIVORS is entirely centered on one family’s internal dysfunction.

What struck me most about this book is that the author seems to have an astute understanding of psychology. The dynamics between these three brothers and their flawed mother and father seems incredibly well-thought-out and believable. I was struck most by the characterization of the mother, whom I thought was a brilliantly complex character. I also was impressed at how each of the three boys specifically chose to interpret and manage what was lacking in their childhoods in their own unique ways.

Overall, I found the writing to be quite lovely and enjoyable to read, but I caution anyone who is drawn to this because of the mystery elements that this is much more literary fiction than mystery. The book summary describes it as a ‘thrillingly fast-paced narrative,’ and I must admit that I find that description misleading.

The story, which is told through non-linear, alternating timelines, feels more like a slow unwinding of a haunting and at times confusing nostalgia (which is often how our own childhoods can feel, am I right? Or is it just me?).

Yes, it does have some elements of mystery to help keep the reader engaged, and it does culminate in a reveal at the end, but it definitely luxuriates in descriptive memories on its way there and includes some rather tragic elements.

In summary, I’m suggesting that if you go into this expecting something in the genre of literary fiction (for example, while reading this, the work of John Irving came to mind for me), you’ll most likely enjoy the story and not be frustrated by its slower pacing and nostalgic meanderings.

This was a beautiful and moving book that I’m personally very glad I read. I’d recommend it to fans of literary fiction who are not afraid of stories with some depth and sadness.

This came out in the U.S. on Oct. 5!

Thank you Doubleday for the ARC!

It was a quick read though it was foreboding, I needed to understand and see how the author was wrapping it up. It was definitely dark and this dysfunctional family surely had memories that they don't want to hash over again now but needed closure. There was a twist at the end that was really sad. The book being shorter was good read but I did not enjoy the jumping between timelines constantly in this case.