ONE DAY by David Nicholls (Hodder & Stoughton)
One Day – with its tag line “Twenty Years… Two People” – would have failed miserably as a movie. As a book, however, Nicholls presents a charming story of two people who serve as an achingly realistic conduit for the reader in an all too candid version of real life.
Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew meet on the night of their graduation from University in July 1988. They spend the night together in an orgy of talking, mocking and cuddling. Despite their differences in just about everything that matters; with her being a liberal working class writer from York and him a self-absorbed, upper middle class slacker who just wants to be famous, they manage to keep in touch. Every year on July 15th they do everything they can to be in contact. This is the heart of the novel, the idea that the reader is nothing more than the fly on the wall of the protagonists’ lives, watching as their paths cross repeatedly over the course of the novel. We follow them from their early twenties through to their thirties, watching as their ideologies and lives change to match their experiences.
Nicholls has refined his writing style over the course of his first two books, which is perhaps why the book is so captivating despite the clichés and slow middle act. By choosing not to actively follow the two but rather just pop in once a year just to see how things are going, the storylines remain fresh and light and characterization is never-ending. Dexter especially is a triumph. He could easily be written off as a one-dimensional prat who wants nothing more than to be on TV, but instead he reveals more about himself including how and why he became the person he is. Unfortunately, it takes a good third of the book for him to grow up. Around this time we are re-introduced to a supporting character in Emma’s timeline who serves only to irritate the reader and make it all too tempting to skip to the end of the book, if only to escape from the terrible jokes. With the exception of two or three supporting characters, the rest flesh the book out nicely. While they exist mainly to provide villains and/or comedic relief, they also boost the embarrassingly honest world Nicholls creates.
On the surface, One Day reads much like When Harry Met Sally, right down to the seemingly obvious ending. The bittersweet final act, however, transforms the entire tone of the book and ensures this isn’t just a novel you will forget in a hurry.
4/5
A mostly fast paced book with an original concept that is only occasionally let down by clichés.
