One Day

A fantastic book. At first glance the idea of picking up the story of two people for one day (St Swithin's Day) each year for 20 years might sound a bit contrived, but Nicholls handles the structure brilliantly. You end up really caring about these characters, even if at times you want to bang their heads together! Compelling and utterly readable, the story follows Emma and Dexter from their graduation from Edinburgh University through the trials and tribulations of their 20's and 30's, and the ups and downs of their friendship. This book is funny, touching and ultimately quite moving. I'm not sure if anyone under 35 will ‘get' this book, but for me it's up there with Espedair Street and Any Human Heart. Very Highly Recommended.

I would have stopped reading it after the big surprise at the end, but I only had about 25 pages left. REALLY hate books that do this shit.

Nicholls does a good job at describing the optimism, realism and acceptance that comes with the progression through different stages of adulthood. These observations made it worth reading, even though I never connected with either of the protagonists and didn't entirely believe their relationship.