Unwillingly pretty and formidably clever Emma Morley and haplessly handsome Dexter Mayhew get together on their graduation night. Though they don't sleep together, they become fast friends, dancing around the prospect of a relationship as they make strides into their postgraduate lives. Their mutual like lingers, setting off tiny sparks every time they're together or correspond. As time passes, they wait…
And wait…
And wait.
There's not a whole lot of substance to One Day, which is the main bafflement and standing issue I have with the book. It's chick lit disguised as literary fiction: more lazy reading on the beach than glasses-on intellectual life study.
What Nicholls does well is keep the dialogue light end entertaining; safely - if only just - on the safe side of canny throughout. The characterisation of Emma is rounded and wry, while Dexter is less sympathetic but consistent. While their relationship does hang together, it's not quite enough to fill 400 pages without feeling like there's something amiss.
Book #4: ★★★★★
3 comments:
"Unwillingly pretty and formidably clever Emma Morley and haplessly handsome Dexter Mayhew". Yeesh, I hate it already!
But they're so wonderfully and disdainfully middle class! Like us!
I read this review when I was halfway through the book and thought it was a bit harsh on the whole as I was quite enjoying it. But what a letdown come the final third. I'm pretty sure I walked away from it feeling depressed. I really liked the character of Emma but Dexter was tiresome from the get-go. Maybe that's why I hated the ending even more. I agree with the fact it's chick-lit disguised as literary fiction. What an annoying book.
Post a Comment