One Day by David Nicholls

I was initially drawn to this book by the concept of portraying two people through the happenings on only one day per year (15th July) over a span of twenty years. I was wary that plot holes or a lack of understanding of the characters might develop from the leaps however on the contrary, the record of them over such a long time made me appreciate them, their choices, and their relationships all the more. Nicholls knows how to weave a plot - ending chapters with cliffhangers such as "Don't worry about a thing. Tomorrow. We'll talk properly tomorrow," leaving the reader for several chapters before they are fulfilled with the knowledge of what was discussed "tomorrow" - now about three years ago. I greatly admire how Nicholls has portrayed failure in the novel - throughout it the reader feels the longing and embarrassment of Emma and Dexter and becomes so used to their perspectives of the world that the gaps of time between chapters are easily filled by reader rationale. Despite sometimes being distracted by the lengthy amounts of dialogue (perhaps reflecting Nicholls' background in script writing), I found One Day an enjoyable leisurely read.