This novel is yet another in the alarming trend I've begun of reading books that hit entirely too close to home. Yes, One Day is on the surface a love story, a romance between two people told over twenty years, but it's about so much more than that. Nicholls examines the condition of young people in the modern age with such stark honesty and unapologetic truth that, for the recent college grad only beginning to embark on the "rest of my life" path, a lot of the story (most particularly the parts that aren't intended as tragic) read with a profound sadness.
Emma and Dexter officially meet on the day of their graduation from university, July 15th 1988. They spend the next 24 hours getting to know each other (no, not in exactly the way you're thinking, though there is some snogging), and their relationship is revisited on July 15th of each subsequent year, during which they always have some sort of significant interaction or event taking place in their respective lives. Each of them veers down a misguided path at different points, and though many readers would probably jump to vilify Dexter for the caddish drunk he becomes in his late twenties, there is something even more regrettable about Emma's descent into boredom and complacency, her refusal to take chances and for a while, to pursue her true ambitions. Both characters spend much of the story lost in this manner, unsure of themselves as they attempt to navigate the transition from adolescence to adulthood with little initial success. They are utterly miserable and you feel miserable reading about them, especially as it becomes clear that the lone bright spot in either of their lives is the other, a fact that they spend entirely too many pages refusing to realize.
There is also an overarching theme of wasted time, and the opportunities we miss out on in life and in love. We see several moments when Dexter or Emma very nearly takes the plunge, trying to change the status of the relationship, but they are foiled again and again by their circumstances or their own respective cowardice. This is a story that, contrary to what the advertisements for its film adaptation (more on that in a bit) would have you believe, does not have a happy ending. What I loved so much about it though was that I didn't want it to. This story has a painfully real ending, and it is everything these two characters both do and don't deserve. Nicholls takes us on a journey that we can empathize with because it could so easily be my story, or yours or his or hers. It's universal, this struggle to be that we watch Emma and Dexter endure, and the book concludes on a bittersweet note, one that has stuck with me (and, I expect, many other readers) as a lesson, or perhaps a glimpse of what our own futures might hold if we aren't careful. One Day is a snapshot of life as most of us know it, and it is a better story for making no apologies for that.
As for the film adaptation, which opened in theaters yesterday, I am definitely interested to see how it pans out. I can already tell where there might be some creative liberties taken, and those changes may or may not translate well on screen. There are several factors, however, which encourage me to think it might be a reasonably good adaptation: the performances of Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway, both of whom are more than capable of delivering the kind of emotional connection this novel begs; the fact that Nicholls himself wrote the screenplay, thus hopefully ensuring that the original intent of the story will not be lost; and most importantly the fact that this film is being released by Focus Features, which for me is as good as a guarantee of it's quality. Some of the reviews I've read (I don't like to read too many going into a movie, at the risk of biasing myself) have been very negative, while others have indicated that it might be right up my alley. I am determined to find out for myself, hopefully soon, and will have my full thoughts here once that happens. In the meantime, I encourage anyone looking for a heartfelt, genuine read to give One Day a chance.
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