This Swedish family drama starts out slow and builds. This was recommended by one of my favorite authors, Fredrik Backman, and the author sites him as a mentor of his. This book is a slow burn, character driven book. Three brothers reunite after their mother dies and they revisit a forest home where they vacationed as children. The parents are drunks and paid no attention to their children and you hate them until a turn later in the book gives you a glimpse into their motivations. This is a complicated family and the sparse writing gave the book a moodiness that sets it apart. It is hard to say you love a sad and complicated book, but I can say that I appreciated this story and the layers the author carved into it. It has a much different tone and rhythm to it than Backman but it is wonderful in it's own right. I can't wait to see what Schulman does next.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance readers copy.

This book was extremely odd and not anything like what I was expecting. The writing was beautiful in a very sad way, but it moved slowly. The format was odd (the book alternates between the boys’ childhood and their get together to spread their mother’s ashes, but the present tense chapters start at the end and go backwards). I will admit it is a fast read, but it was still one I had to push myself to finish as it just didn’t grab me. It was a little more depressing than I thought I was signing up for and I expected a little more of a thriller vibe which I didn’t get. The characters were hard to like or connect to because they were all rather cruel people. And while I get that the kids clearly learned it from their alcoholic parents it didn’t make me like them better. Overall I probably would give this 2.5 stars but rounded up for this review.

The Survivors by Alex Schulman is the story of a family that is complicated, messy, normal and sad.
I felt every emotion possible with this engrossing book and I ended it in tears of understanding.
Bravo, Mr. Schulman! Well done.

This book was heavy and beautiful. The narrative was not told in chronological order, rather starting at the beginning and the end of the story up front and getting to the middle at the end. When you find the truth about Molly and read the mother's letter, you have all the sad feels and know you've been an emotional journey with the brothers, especially Benjamin.

I was not expecting the ending of this book at all. It really changed how I felt about the whole thing. It held my attention but focuses mostly on their summers at their cabin and the hard to navigate relationship between the 3 boys and their parents. It also is in present day after their mother's death. I just kept reading and wondering how this would all end up, and then came the shock towards the end. If you enjoy family dynamic stories, this is the book for you!

Please add my voice to the chorus of complaints about this book not being available in the Kindle format. Sorry, but was unable to read,

This is a depressing novel about three brothers. It bounces back and forth from when they get together after the death of their mother to their childhood in which they were largely ignored and mistreated by their alcoholic parents. Since their father is already dead, now it’s just the sons who remain, and brother Benjamin is not quite right in the head. Mental illness and addiction and a terrible accident when they were younger—not a fun romp. I don’t mind downer reads, but I don’t think the writing or the story elevated this enough to make it worth my time.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel, which RELEASES OCTOBER 5, 2021.

I want to say that I was really excited to receive this book. I felt confident that I would love it, because the blurb made it sound compelling and compared it to Patrick Melrose. I'm sad to say that I was disappointed. The Survivors is the story of three brothers who grow up with neglectful, alcoholic parents. Schulman treats us to lurid descriptions of their filthy house and bodies, seemingly to prove the depths of the neglect and mental illness controlling the lives of his characters. As though we would not believe it without being steeped in body fluids and dirt. I read the book, at quite a fast pace. The problem is that the book has the cover of a thriller, so you think you're headed somewhere. But there's no real suspense. The twist is lackluster and, frankly, not as clever as the author believes it to be. Basically, I think Schulman is an author who loves writing description and character, but has no particular talent for plot. I'm giving The Survivors three stars because Schulman is a solid writer and the characters stuck with me; if I were grading for plot (or for enjoyment), it would have none.

I'd like to say I enjoyed this book. But what I found was a story written kind of in reverse. Kind of not though.
It was a bit confusing to read each chapter and then right at the end, finally, the big reveal. What the entire book was leading up to. Although that clears up what was confusing, I found it to be annoying at best. The entire time I was reading I kept wondering where it was leading. All these little stories that would make up the BIG PICTURE eventually. I just felt like it was disjointed. Not enough in the chapters to get a good feel for what was happening. I think if rearranged a bit, with a little more detail, this book could be very interesting.

I hate to do this but I can't give this a review because it hasn't been made available for kindle- which is how I read my ARCS. I have been holding out hope that it would turn up with a kindle option but that hasn't been the case. More power to those who read it on their phones but I can't do that.

I enjoy books that make me think; those that delve into the human psyche and beg to be dissected piece by delicious piece. So when I read the book description for The Survivors by Alex Schulman, I knew I had to get my hands on this one sooner or later. Many thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for allowing this to happen sooner rather than later. The cover of this compact novel is also absolutely stunning, but don't let it fool you. The story isn't nearly as pretty as the packaging looks, although it is every bit as interesting.

At their mother's behest after she passes away, three brothers return to the lakeside cottage they spent summers in growing up a little over two decades ago, until a tragic, life-altering accident brought the last summer to an abrupt halt. This dysfunctional family was never the same again.

The story is narrated by Benjamin, the middle son, who is ever watchful and attempts to be the peacekeeper. He introduces us to the profound, richly written characters of his parents and his brothers. His brothers are Nils, the elder, the example, the one who couldn't get out of the home fast enough, and Pierre, the younger, bullied, with a bomb-fuse temper. After this accident, especially, the boys were often left to fend for themselves. Through Benjamin's eyes we learn to recognize the nuances of the intricate relationships they have with one another and with their parents. But what really happened that day, and what if the person narrating remembers it differently from the others who were involved?

The story is told in alternating timelines: That of the fateful summer day going forward and that of the present day going in reverse. There is a logic behind it, but this does make things more confusing for the reader. It's appropriate, given who is narrated has remained a bit untethered from reality, and thus time seems to move differently for him. The book is compact, but unless the reader sticks it out may seem rather mundane. It packs a punch for those who endure, however. Fredrik Backman uses the word 'haunting' to describe it. This is exactly how I felt upon finishing reading it. It left me with the feeling of being just woken from a daze, just comprehending the profound effects of that tragic day. The translator did a wonderful job of making this read naturally to this English speaker.

This family was dysfunctional, strange, and not just a little bit gross. Yet they felt tangible and real to me. The way the timelines are set up won't be for everyone. If you enjoy novels that examine the intricacies of families, if you enjoyed Atonement, you might enjoy this one, and it's to you I would recommend this novel.

Alex Schulman tells a good story and helps you take inventory of the past.

It’s astounding how much your childhood can impact and carve the individual that you become. The events and the memories (good and bad) still indelibly seared into our essence, ever contributing factors in how we behave and the choices we make, whether we are fully conscious of it or not, developing the core of what we believe our truth to be.

The Survivors poignantly chronicles the lives of three brothers and takes an intimate look at the many facets of family dynamics.

This novel is not full of action nor maintains any high drama, and some parts even seem to drag or become a tad disjointed. Just remember while reading that patience is required to take a long unflinching look at the forms we take and how we each move through life. As the water and stones of a rushing river, not always rendering smooth, sometimes we rush, we scrape, we crack . . . this is how we shape each other and ourselves over time.

I'd like to thank the author, NetGalley, and Doubleday for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Survivors for an honest review.

A police car approaches a lakeside summer home, where a gathering of three brothers scattering their mother's ashes has turned violent. The present-day narrative moves backwards in time to show what brought them to a tipping point, while flashbacks to one fateful childhood summer reveal the tragedy at its root.

At the heart it all is Benjamin, the sensitive middle brother who experiences dissociative episodes and grapples with his flawed memories of the past. This is not an easy read, as the family's dysfunction is exhibited in crude and disturbing ways. Nevertheless, I was drawn into this haunting family drama from its evocative opening, and the unusual backtracking format kept me turning pages to the unexpected ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Have you ever read a book that just sticks with you, you know that even as you close on the last chapter that it will haunt you probably for the rest of your life? That is how I could best describe The Survivors.

Three brothers, all different, have just lost their mother. Having been neglected as children by alcoholic parents the brothers are all estranged but reunite to spread the ashes of their mother.

Nils, the oldest, couldnt wait to leave home. Benjamin, the middle, who loves to push buttons and has recently come undone, and then Pierre, the youngest who was constantly bulled. You can not help but feel sorry for each one of them and the childhood that they endured. When the brothers are reunited they are each triggered to remember the less than loving childhood they endured and that one fateful summer.

This novel flowed easily between chapter. The plot was engaging and addicting. The way these boys longed for their mothers affection was haunting and just stuck with me.

I highly recommend The Survivors! Bravo, Alex Schulman, your talent definitely shines in this novel.

This book surpassed my expectations and quickly became one of my favorite books of 2021 thus far; The story follows three brothers in the wake of their mothers death as they prepare to scatter her ashes in their country cottage in the woods. We are then taken backwards in time and offered quick and sharp glimpses of why the brothers are the way they are as adults, who they were as teenagers and the event that shaped not only their lives but transformed the lives of their entire family.
I found myself aching for the brothers and their relationship and wished that they would all come together to find comfort in their relationship and I think that that emotion is what drove me to fly through this book. Coming from a large family and having had a very strong connection with my own younger brother I felt for all three of them and their behavior; one of my favorite lines was "Remember what dad said? He said we should be happy that we're brothers, because brothers are the strongest bond there is."
This story was unlike any I had read and I'm glad I did, I can count the number of books that have moved me to tears and this was one of them.
MY only major note was that this is listed as a psychological thriller and it read more like commercial fiction and mystery.

Unfortunately, this book was not available to be sent to Kindle and that is the place I read all of my digital ARCs. Therefore, as much as I wanted to read this book, I was unable to do so for that reason. I will give a satisfactory star rating as that is required for the review and would hope that the publisher and NetGalley will be more mindful of the ways that reviewers are able to read books making all ARCs available on Kindle. Thank you!

I thought this book would be a mystery, but that's not really what it is. Yes, there is a twist, but it's almost incidental to the rest of the novel, which is incredibly vivid in its depiction of this fractured, imperfect, abusive family, particularly the three boys. I really enjoyed it.

Well, we need to ask these Nordic authors all about their knife twisting plot twists. You know something is fundamentally wrong since the beginning. You know that clock is ticking backwards only to reach that moment of truth - why everything else that came after make sense. You know that this family is dysfunctional for a reason and children are deprived of parental guidance and love. Still - this plot twist hits you hard.

It all starts where three brothers sitting roadside waiting for a policeman with their mother's ashes in an urn. One story line goes way back in time to their childhood to show the dynamics between them. the other story line goes back in the same day hour by hour. Where two connects is going to break your heart.

If you are interested in Nordic literature and their matter-of-factness, you will like this one. I almost got the same feeling from this book that I got from Karl Ove Knausgard's Seasons Quartet.

I'm not even sure I could provide a decent rundown of this one unless I copied the Goodreads synopsis word for word. I was pretty much lost from the beginning, but as it was centered around a family of three brothers, and I married into such a family, I was definitely interested.

When looking at this book on NetGalley, the description hooked me as I thought it was going to be a fast-paced family mystery... No such luck. I truly feel like this is another case of misbranding, and I'd like to believe this is largely due to the fact that the book was not originally published in English.

I found The Survivors incredibly disjointed and difficult to follow, and had it not been so short it would've been a definite DNF for me. The final nail in the coffin was a "twist" coming at the end, after I believed the "big mystery" had already been solved. I hate giving books a one star rating, as I know authors work incredibly hard and I could never do what they do, but I'm again going to chalk it up to it not being originally published in English.

Regardless, many thanks to Alex Schulman, Doubleday Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.