One Day - David Nicholls

‘One Day’ by David Nicholls is a persuasive and endearing account of a close friendship. Emma and Dexter on paper are worlds apart but their everyday stories are what hooks the reader and makes it so relatable. The novel takes place on one single date – 15 July but spans a couple of decades. It has spread across not only the UK but has been translated into 31 languages making it the book that everyone is talking about and has now been made into a film.

It follows the lives of Emma and Dexter after they graduate when Dexter is propelled into the highlife after two ‘gap yah’s’ and Emma has a job in a ‘tex-mex’ restaurant in Kentish town longing after a career in publishing. They are set on just being friends but they both know they still have feelings for each other and it’s seemingly coincidences that stop anything from ever happening. As the book develops so do the characters and their lives, only not together. There is no doubt that this book will have you red eyed at the end but it will have you laughing out loud throughout the journey too.

The unusual structure is an extremely effective device in which Nicholls tells the lives of these two friends on their own, from different perspectives. It provides wonderful snapshots of their life and then just as you’re engaged in one small incident in Emma’s life the chapter ends and you are soon engrossed in another incident happening to Dexter; forgetting all about Emma. It is this device that keeps the reader turning pages at such a fast pace. That and the chatty narrative Nicholls has adopted making the reader feel like they’re your close friends and you knew them at University.

Many people would first assume that the book is for a female reader and it’s a typical ‘boy meets girl’ scenario but Nicholls has opened up this novel to both sexes. When he’s writing about Dexter the language and tone is different and the same goes for Emma so these shifts in narrative really keep the story balanced and fresh whilst you’re reading. The read is appealing for both men and women, mainly due to its humour, satire and what some might say is a mirror image of life today. Nicholls also has an eye for the small details that make a novel so believable, whether it’s the smells he conjures up in the Clapham bedsit or the stunning suburbia lifestyle, you can really picture it in your mind. His detail of life at twentysomething is what makes it so pitch perfect.  It covers topics appealing to both men and women and could be seen as a very vivid shot of people’s lives today which is why I think it has been such a hit.

So if you haven’t read it yet, I strongly recommend you do. It’s funny, moving and relevant and is sure to leave you (hopefully) with the urge to tell everyone to read it and join the phenomenon.