On the Shelf: One Day

ONE DAY | DAVID NICHOLLS | HACHETTE | 2009

It's 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. 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.

I love the concept for this book and I wish that I could experience more stories the way this book is written. Reading snapshots from the lives of Dex and Em from one day out of a year involves the reader in the unfolding of the story far more than many other books. Since there is only minimal information presented (a lot can happen over the span of twelve months), as the reader you have to fill in the blanks and work out what other events have happened to the characters. Not everything is revealed and I really enjoyed figuring things out on my own.

The characters are extremely likeable even though they are full of flaws. I could see some of myself in both main characters (not that I'm necessarily proud of that fact) and I actually cared about what was happening. Unfortunately, my fondness for the structure of the plot didn't wasn't the same for the content. It was an enjoyable read, but not necessarily a favourite story.

One Day made me want to start one of those "five year journals" where you document each day for a succession of years. It's interesting to think about how different life can be one year from the next, how drastic (or insignificant) the changes may be.

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"With that, he left; a classic technique, compliment and run. Keen not to cave in straightaway, Emma pushed the door to, turned the monitor back on, read the words there, shuddered visibly, closed the file and dragged it to the icon of the wastebasket. An electronic crumpling noise, the sound of writing."