One Day by David Nicholls

I’m finally getting back into my rhythm of getting books done.  I guess that’s what happens when you finish a 900-something page book.  Everything else seems really short after that.  Almost finished with school for the semester.  Things have been maddeningly busy, but are hopefully slowing down now.  Anyway, without further interruption, here’s what you’ve been waiting for.

Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew are almost lovers, sort of friends, and inseparable since college.  As predictable with any male-female relationship filled with sexual tension but no actual relationship, their unspoken feelings for each other eventually ruins every relationship they have but at least they always have each other to fall back on.

There is something charming about Em and Dex’s relationship, maybe it’s the ‘falling in love with your best friend’ dynamic that comes out in bursts throughout the book or maybe I’m just a sucker for a decent romance.  The story is told only in snippets as Nicholls gives you only one day of their relationship each year.  Surprisingly enough this does not leave any gaps in the plot and you get a very full picture of the love-hate relationship of Em-n-Dex.  Their relationship feels real.  It’s not a sugar-sweet romance like you’d find in a Nicholas Sparks novel, nor is it a torrid affair like you’d find in “chick lit.”  In fact,  I don’t think I’d even call this book ‘chick-lit’ it’s sort of in a league of its own.  A real life romance-drama maybe.

Even though the relationship feels real there is something a little off about this novel.  I felt for Emma’s character, but Dexter remained the kind of guy I just couldn’t bring myself to care about. 

The heartbreaking but predictable from the first few chapters ending did not leave me feeling the way it should have and left me finishing the book disappointed.  This not quite chick-lit, not quite literary book isn’t quite what I’d hoped it would be.

That being said it does tell the story of a very real-life almost romance and because of how well Nicholls keeps his characters from being characters the book is worth reading if only because of how unique it is by being totally ordinary.

I haven’t seen the movie so I’m not sure how well it matches up with the book.  While I’m not a huge fan of Anne Hathaway, you know, the one who didn’t marry Shakespeare, (especially with the fake British accent) I would actually consider giving the movie a try based on the book.  It’s not fantastic, but it was entertaining and that’s saying something.