KAITLIN HARDCASTLE
Arts Writer

There is only one word that truly describes One Day by David Nicholls and that is: “real.”

Leaving out all forms of the supernatural and fantasy, Nicholls tackles a topic that seems to have become taboo by making real life the focus of his novel. Life approached in a fresh and appealing way with characters that are as realistic as the situations that they find themselves in

The novel begins on July 15, 1988, introducing the reader to Emma and Dexter, two United Kingdom university students in the midst of celebrating the completion of their undergraduate degrees. Emma is completely embedded in a feminist movement, surrounding herself with all forms of literature, music and friends who cater to that same lifestyle. Dexter is exactly the opposite. He overindulges in women and alcohol without caring much for either. They were brought together by fate and little else.

As the novel progresses and the characters evolve, one element stays the same: this novel does not have a running narrative but returns to the same day every year. This is one of the enticing aspects of the novel because it allows for a longer story-line and for a thorough development of the characters. The actual time line of One Day runs from 1988 to 2007, taking Em and Dex through their years of soul-searching, triumphs, relationships and life’s hardships.

Nicholls does an amazing job of crafting truly believable characters that cause the reader to become absorbed in this book. As each chapter brings on a new year, Dexter and Emma go through various stages of friendship and life that makes this novel seem like reality. They started out having no reason to become friends and Dexter even says that he might not remember Emma’s name but, like any real friendship, they always find reasons to make their way back to each other.

While Dexter adventures around the world, becomes immersed in his success and begins to spiral out of control, Emma falls into a mundane relationship and seems to become trapped in a life that she does not want to live. Reality and the relatability of this novel make it seem all too familiar to the reader.

There is no romanticizing of the lives of these two characters as they experience infidelity, success in unexpected fields, death and finding love in spite of all of life’s twists and turns.

Nicholls uses different literary and cultural references to fuel the humour in his novel. Laughter is one of the main devices in this novel as it follows with the sheer reality of Nicholls’ novel. Without laughter, life is taken too seriously, especially in the face of its hardships and humour helps Dexter and Emma get through it.

One Day has gotten outstanding reviews from newspapers, magazines and television shows and was also rated one of People magazine’s top 10 novels of 2010. It is also taking to the silver screen starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. Thankfully, David Nicholls is a talented screenwriter and has taken on the project of writing the screenplay.

All in all, Nicholls’ creation is spectacular and, for a lack of better word, real. It is easy to learn something about life and how easily the decisions that you make and the people that you meet can affect you for the rest of your life.