“One Day” is one of those books I was almost sad to finish because the story is so lovely and the characters so real, I couldn’t bear parting with them.
But I had to.
So, here I am trying to put into words how I felt about this book and its characters and finding it difficult because Nicholls really did an excellent job of developing characters with brilliant humor, endearing flaws, and a captivating story. The schtick of showing us the couple on just one day each year works – I was afraid it might feel disjointed and jumpy, but Nicholls makes it work. It’s honestly one of those books that novelists wish they had written, it’s clever and smart and sad and happy all at the same time.
Especially the dialogue. The conversations between the characters really drew me in, where I could almost hear them in my head. And when you read it, you wish to yourself that you and your friends talked that way, with lots of clever quips and sardonic sides (of course, my friends and I do talk this way, because we are witty and fascinating 🙂 ).
As far as the love story? Well, I had my heart-broken about seven times during the book – missed opportunities, things just not working out, Emma and Dexter (the protagonists) breaking up, etc. Even while I knew the story wasn’t over (because there were 200 pages left), I’d still worry about them and pray they’d work it out. And they do, but not in the way one might think. The ending is more along the lines of “Dear John” where the book ends but we all know the love doesn’t. Because in real, heart-breaking, amazing love; one event doesn’t end it.
Nicholls book is more than a love story, however; it dabbles with philosophy and politics and self-actualization. It’s a tragedy. Yet, with all this complexity, it’s readable and easy and enjoyable. It was after I was done reading I realized that maybe there was more to this story then just two old University mates falling for each other. No, it’s more than that. It made me think about how I am living my very own life, and when I saw how much these characters changed over 20 years, I realized how much can happen and how much people can change. It allowed me to see that life is ever-changing, that I must be grateful for what I have but know it can be fleeting. And I must understand that even when my life is at a low-point, it will pass.
And here I said I don’t like romance novels. Sounds like I do…maybe I’m more of a romantic than I thought.
Jac-In-A-Book 