One Day

One Day (2009) by David Nicholls. I don't remember ever reading a book which moved me the way this one did. One Day tells the story of Emma and Dexter, two young Brits who graduate from college at the same time and hook up on graduation day, July 15, 1988. The novel picks up their story on July 15 of every year after that, until 2007. The pair dance a dance made up of half friendship, half love, for 20 years, and each chapter of the book presents us with a snapshot of where they are in the dance in every particular year. Emma always loves Dexter, but he is too self-absorbed, too promiscuous, too drunk to see what's in front of him. Will they end up together? I was never sure. The writing in this novel is just brilliant, the dialogue is pitch-perfect, the sense of time and place is right on. I was so involved in the story that when a major character died, I cried. I've never read a book that made me cry, no matter how sad. This book is both funny and sad -- at one point it made me laugh out loud. The bottom line is that this is one of the best books I've read this year, and I highly recommend it. Grade: A