'One day' by David Nicholls had a very clever plot and a structure which made it very special. It was a great story and kept me intrigued and interested the whole way through.
It was based around two characters: Emma, and Dexter, "Em and Dex", "Dex and Em". However, it was very different to normal romances, as each chapter was the same day, every year. The title was very significant, as you read about just one day, and the difference in the relationship as friends, aquantances, or lovers, about their attitude and situation and how it changed each year drastically.
Emma is a girl who loves writing, reading and at first leaves university with a very bad job that she doesn't enjoy, and goes through different couriers until she finally gets what she wanted to do all her life, writing. She goes through different relationships with different men, never sure of herself and how love really feels.
Dexter is a kind boy but at some stages of the book very arigont and selfish. At one point of his life goes through a stage of feeling better by drinking. However, Emma and the reader realises that its a phase of him and he is really a very funny, loving and confident man. He also has many relationships, some being one night stands but others being more serious than he's ready for. He becomes a show host but is disliked by some, but then goes through courier changes and eventually becomes happier with himself and his life.
They both don't know that the person they love is right in front of them.
The story takes you through their journeys together and it highlights that life can be tough but it also can be amazing, and knowing this can make you even happier. Their lives are different but it leads them to be very similar, and you learn that there lives go together so well and they need each other.
The two characters were portrayed fantastically as you really felt like you knew them! The reason for this is each year you saw there ups and downs and how they coped with sad and happy situations. You watched the different stages of their relationship together, both as friends, enemies or lovers.
What made it really gripping as you felt like you were going through the characters lives with them. You were on their journey from when they graduated university, at 22, all the way to when they were what they called, middle aged. You read about how their attitude to life change, the way they handled situations, and i think it was really clever how you understood that the same personality can be very different at different ages and how the same person can go through so much in both their actions, job, and attitude but they are still the same person.
The book made me realise how one day was so important and how it can make a difference to your whole life. The decisions you make on one day, can affect 100 days, and I think this book displayed this and gave an important message to its readers.
Not only this, but the book had other meaningfull messages. There were some quotes throughout the book which were said in important times or by important, historical people. They reflected the characters situations and I liked how this mirrored their story in a different way.
The book was written in 3rd person but the style of writing changed when talking about a character. You also sometimes read about the characters thoughts and the whole style of how the words were put on the page reflected the characters mood which I thought was really clever, and meant you got to know them even more.
The story changed each year and at first, when I picked up the book, I thought it was going to be very predictable. However, it was never predictable and I never knew how the ending was going to turn out and I loved the surprise of what the situation of the characters would be the next year. I was always exited to see how they had changed, for the better or worse!
The ending also was not how I expected and by the end I loved it, it was sad but I think this gave the book a reality affect. It meant it was a great story but it wasn't predictable and it could actually happen to anyone, but it also left you reading the last page feeling happy, without it being cliche.
I think it was written very well and had great descriptive language. It made me imagine everything in my head and all the characters were described so well I really did feel like I new them. This book has led me to think I want to make a diary of the same day every year, so I can look back and see how one year has changed me and the situation i'm in!
The story is not only a romance, but also is sad, uplifting, a drama and a comedy as you read about the witty characters and how there life situation and character changes. The book teaches you life lessons that you can actually follow, without being too cliche, and knowing that in reality you are sometimes going to feel sad, and there are going to be bad days.
Overall, it was a touching story with a unique structure and you will not want to stop reading it! I will be recommending it to everyone I know!
I would recommend it to ages 13+, it is an adult fiction book but teenagers like me would absolutely love it to!
Buy it:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/one-day/david-nicholls/9780340896983
OR
https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Day-David-Nicholls-x/dp/0340896981/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496348803&sr=8-1&keywords=one+day