Book Review : One Day

by David Nicholls
★☆☆☆☆
This book received quite a bit of initial hype, so I expected it to be good, but I really didn't enjoy it very much. Part of the problem is that it is based on the same sort of premise as the movie, "When Harry Met Sally", but has none of the charm which that story possesses. It even steals a line directly from a movie...."I'm not your consolation prize!".

The main difference is that as the movie builds you have a greater longing for Harry and Sally to get together, but sadly, that is not the case with this book. The paths of the two main characters go so completely awry, that by the time the come together you have been thoroughly convinced that they do NOT belong together.

You are supposed to feel their intense connection throughout the book, but there is little to support that connection besides the fact that the author repeatedly tells you they are "best friends". However, the dialog between the two suggests otherwise, mostly being filled with sarcastic quips, small disagreements and a few very large disagreements.

The book is divided into decades called "Parts" and the final "Part" is a jumbled mess in which we are constantly jockeyed from present time to the past without warning and, more importantly, without adding to the story.

I found this story devoid of charm, the main characters devoid of like-ability and the writing devoid of sentiment.