Title: One Day
Author: David Nicholls
Publication details: February 4, 2010 by Hodder (first published June 11, 2009)
Genre: Contemporary, romance, fiction
It’s 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another.
Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day- July 15th- of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself.
Twenty years, two people, one day. (GOODREADS)
A story of finding one's self in the midst of life's difficulties and mediocrity.
One Day is a story of two people who despite their differences became life-long friends, and through their struggles found their own paths. It is a very refreshing read- from the way the story was told to the plot itself. I don't think I have ever read something like it before.
At first, I thought it will have a typical romance plot. But as I read along, I was proven wrong. It does have a romance plot, but it did not overpower the essence of the story. Instead, it added to the characters' development. One Day focuses on the individual characters- their life principles, their hopes and plans, their frustrations and struggles.
The characters are three-dimensional and are very relatable. I liked how I was able to see the different phases of the characters' lives. I got to see how they hope, try, fail and try again. I liked how it reminded me that no matter how much we plan our future, there's a big probability that it will not turn out the way we planned it. And it's okay. It also reminded me that I have to take chances. No matter how scared or silly it may seem, I should be courageous to do it, rather than live with regrets and what ifs.
One Day has a bittersweet ending. It was quite unexpected and sad, but I liked how there's a promise of hope for the future.
Another thing I liked about the book is the way the story is told. Each chapter covers the lives of the characters on July 15 for 20 years. I thought it would give me a limited view of the characters' lives, but surprisingly it didn't. I was still able to know them and follow their stories even when I only read a day in their lives.
Covering 20 years may seem dragging but it was not because of the way of narration. The flow was smooth as well and easy to understand.
Overall, I really liked One Day. It is my first book from the author, so I can't wait to discover more of his works. If you are up for a refreshing, introspective read, I definitely recommend One Day.
David Nicholls is a British author, screenwriter, and actor. A student of Toynbee Comprehensive school and Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, he Graduated from the University of Bristol having studied English Literature and Drama.
After graduation, he won a scholarship to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, before returning to London in 1991 and finally earning an Equity card. He worked sporadically as an actor for the next eight years, eventually earning a three year stint at the Royal National Theatre, followed by a job at BBC Radio Drama as a script reader/researcher. This led to script-editing jobs at London Weekend Television and Tiger Aspect Productions.
During this period, he began to write, developing an adaptation of Sam Shepard’s stage-play Simpatico with the director Matthew Warchus, an old friend from University. He also wrote his first original script, a situation comedy about frustrated waiters, Waiting, which was later optioned by the BBC.
Simpatico was turned into a feature film in 1999, and this allowed David to start writing full-time. He has been twice nominated for BAFTA awards and his first novel, Starter for Ten was featured on the first Richard and Judy Book Club. (GOODREADS)