One Day David Nicholls

I went on a bit of a pub crawl and somewhere along my third caiperovska I lost the rather tepid book I was reading, Hidden Talents. A lucky thing as it turned out, because when I schlepped my hangover to the English Bookstore the next day I picked up One Day.

As the title of this post suggests, I REALLY liked it. It’s lad lit, or whatever Mike Gayle and Nick Hornby’s stuff is called. A genre I like, as it’s generally about a time I was out drunk, sad and single as well and it’s often recognizable and very, very funny.

One Day uses a trick that could have worn thin very quickly: it describes the same date, more or less, for twenty years and uses this day, St. Swithin’s Day, to describe the lives of a boy and a girl. Bolshy Emma and posh Dexter hook up for a one night stand after graduation and then, miraculously, turn into best friends. Over twenty years they struggle with life and with each other through failed relationships and awkward careers.

In a way, it’s a shame (here be spoilers) that Dex starts working in tv and ends up addicted to drugs and booze and sensitive Emma only has ONE real boyfriend, the very unfunny stand up comedian (which I thought was a hoot and a half). Here’s a very pretty girl and she chalks up one boyfriend and one affair? In about TWENTY years? While Dex gets to have sex and do drugs all the time, but of course he’s not happy. What red-blooded twentysomething boy wouldn’t be unhappy with unlimited sex and drugs and rock&roll?

Also, the actual start of the friendship isn’t that believable. They have a one night stand and then all of a sudden Emma is staying with Dex’s posh parents and calling his dad a fascist and voila, they’re best mates for life? I didn’t get it.

However, the most important thing, I guess, is that I finished this book in two, very long, sittings and I’m still sorry there wasn’t more because it was a memorable ride.

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