Book review: One Day
One Day by David Nicholls
1988, Edinburgh. For the past four years at university, Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have been in different circles-he among the handsome and privileged and she among artsy, alternative, albeit slightly disgruntled, theater crowd. (Although to be honest, Emma has always known who he was.) But on the evening of their graduation, Dexter and Emma finally meet, and after one day together, they can’t stop thinking about each other. Although they go off their separate ways-Dexter makes it big as a TV presenter, Emma becomes an English teacher-their lives become irrevocably connected. One Day reveals snapshots of their friendship for the next twenty years on the same day each year: July 15th, the day they first met.
My measly review is not going to do this wonderful, moving book any justice, but hell, I’ll give it a go anyway: One Day is simultaneously the funniest and heart-aching book I’ll ever read. Although the story starts off predictably enough, the characters, and their story, reach surprising depths. Through Dexter and Emma, Nicholls manages to portray a genuine story of not just their friendship, but what it is for twenty-something college grads, fresh out of school and having no clue what to do with the rest of their lives, to truly grow up. Emma’s string of dead-end jobs, Dexter’s wild, boozy nights-One Day may be set in the late 80s/1990s, but the search to find oneself, and perhaps to be brave enough to start over when things don’t work out, are things that can speak to any generation.
But the most marvelous part about One Day-and perhaps where it packs the most emotional punch-is how it captures the textures of friendship. Emma and Dexter’s relationship is so fraught with ups and downs, arguments, fun moments, almost-said-it moments, that it’s a wonder their friendship is still so strong. And in this Facebook era we’re living in, when a friend can be added without even having to know the person, One Day is a poignant reminder that true friendships are worth fighting for.
Memorable quote
The trick of it, she told herself, is to be courageous and bold and make a difference. Not change the world exactly, just the bit around you. Go out there with your double-first, your passion and your new Smith Corona electric typewriter and work hard at…something. Change lives through art maybe. Write beautifully. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved if possible. Eat sensibly. Stuff like that.
-One Day, pp. 12-13
1988, Edinburgh. For the past four years at university, Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have been in different circles-he among the handsome and privileged and she among artsy, alternative, albeit slightly disgruntled, theater crowd. (Although to be honest, Emma has always known who he was.) But on the evening of their graduation, Dexter and Emma finally meet, and after one day together, they can’t stop thinking about each other. Although they go off their separate ways-Dexter makes it big as a TV presenter, Emma becomes an English teacher-their lives become irrevocably connected. One Day reveals snapshots of their friendship for the next twenty years on the same day each year: July 15th, the day they first met.
My measly review is not going to do this wonderful, moving book any justice, but hell, I’ll give it a go anyway: One Day is simultaneously the funniest and heart-aching book I’ll ever read. Although the story starts off predictably enough, the characters, and their story, reach surprising depths. Through Dexter and Emma, Nicholls manages to portray a genuine story of not just their friendship, but what it is for twenty-something college grads, fresh out of school and having no clue what to do with the rest of their lives, to truly grow up. Emma’s string of dead-end jobs, Dexter’s wild, boozy nights-One Day may be set in the late 80s/1990s, but the search to find oneself, and perhaps to be brave enough to start over when things don’t work out, are things that can speak to any generation.
But the most marvelous part about One Day-and perhaps where it packs the most emotional punch-is how it captures the textures of friendship. Emma and Dexter’s relationship is so fraught with ups and downs, arguments, fun moments, almost-said-it moments, that it’s a wonder their friendship is still so strong. And in this Facebook era we’re living in, when a friend can be added without even having to know the person, One Day is a poignant reminder that true friendships are worth fighting for.
Memorable quote
The trick of it, she told herself, is to be courageous and bold and make a difference. Not change the world exactly, just the bit around you. Go out there with your double-first, your passion and your new Smith Corona electric typewriter and work hard at…something. Change lives through art maybe. Write beautifully. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved if possible. Eat sensibly. Stuff like that.
-One Day, pp. 12-13