One Day by David Nicholls

Before a recent trip to New York City, I worried that my utter refusal to go completely techno would hinder my access to convenience. See, I have a dumb phone; its capability stops at texting. My iPod holds a mere 240 songs, and I don’t own a Kindle. This paper snob was in trouble. I was in the middle of a delicious 752-page hardcover and I didn’t dare defy my personal rule number 87: never travel with more than I can carry.

But I remained obstinate; I did not download. I grabbed a paperback recommended by a friend, what I thought would be a mindless read. I alternate between books I consider to be “hard” or “easy,” saving the “airplane” category for trips. I could pick up the brick upon my return. It’s a good thing I stuck to my pages, because I found the last great book I read: One Day, by David Nicholls.

One Day is the story of the love and lives of Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew. They meet and spend the night together on the eve of their graduation from university, St. Swithin’s Day, July 15, 1988. Every July 15 for the next twenty years, the narrative joins Emma and Dex in both their points of view; it chronicles where they are in relation to each other, in relation to what they believe is their situation or destiny on this planet.

The British humor is choice as always. There is a hilarious episode from 1992 when Emma and Dexter spend ten days in the Dodecanese Islands in Greece, and try to maneuver through the heated moods and growing realization of their back-up-plan love for each other. We find them in 1999, drunk and navigating through a privet maze while trying to escape the crowd at the wedding of Emma’s former flat mate, Tilly, whom Dex shagged and thinks Emma didn’t know. But she’s always known. By 2000, Dexter is caring for a colicky child (whether or not it’s his own I will not divulge) in a poo-filled, tears-of-laughter-inducing scene where we are made human by witnessing his absolute hopelessness. 2004 marks a culmination in their relationship; read it to find out.

My rating system, on a scale of 1-5 bookmarks, is:

1 Bookmark = FLEAMARKET: The books offered on the “Free” table at your local street fair.

2 Bookmarks = NIGHTSTAND: A book that stays by the bedside.

3 Bookmarks = BACKPACK: This book leaves the house with you in whatever you carry.

4 Bookmarks = ALL-NIGHTER: You will witness the dawn with this one, because you have to find out what happens.

5 Bookmarks = BEYOND: The book you wish you wrote.

I have heard criticism from other readers that One Day isn’t wrought with enough believability; that it reads like a screenplay (which interestingly enough the film version was shot in 2010 starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess); that Nicholls falls just short of other male authors such as Wally Lamb or Arthur Golden who attempt a female point of view. But I give One Day three bookmarks. Who isn’t reminiscent of wild and wacky love affairs? As for the readability, I wish I had a marketable story that is, as stated by Publishers Weekly, “Hollywood-ready.” And a strong female voice is a difficult tune to capture, even as a female writer. I would carry this book with me anywhere.

I wonder if all the critics felt as I did when, at the end of the book, the significance of July 15, of the one day, is revealed through a Thomas Hardy quote from Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Without necessitating a spoiler alert, it is a heart-wrenching realization of truth, of the power of time over love, if only we are lucky enough to find it before it’s too late.

You can find more information on the author’s website: www.davidnichollswriter.com. Enjoy and keep reading!