“One Day” is a memorable read. It relates to the changing patterns of the
lives of two people who meet towards the end of their student days at Edinburgh
University. It traces their journeys
through the following 20 years by identifying one day each year (15 July, St
Swithin’s Day) to report on their progress.
The novel is deeply moving on account of its economy of
language and its stark realism. Some of
the related incidents are shocking but all are easy to identify with because
they are the incidents of typical, everyday life and they are scrupulously
related to events of the time as well as to exact locations.
There is always a sense of foreboding associated with this
novel and equally a desire in the reader that all will be well in the end,
simply because the individuals described are flawed, tender, at times
inconsiderate, desperate for recognition and lovably human.
There are many twists and turns in “One Day” but, on
reflection, no more or less than in many lives when examined over a period of
time.
It is difficult to draw conclusions from the novel. It might be argued that life is futile or
unfair and indeed one of the characters does seem to have an unreasonable share
of good fortune and the other remarkably little, but on closer scrutiny, the
reader notes that one may leave a substantial legacy to the world, where the
other more fortunate individual may leave none and be left in his life only
with a sense of enduring sadness.
David Nicholls shows in “One Day” how young people age,
change and yet, in essence remain the same characters they were in adolescence:
it is this acute observation of human behaviour which makes this novel so
touching, tender and true to all of us who have read it. I recommend it to anyone in S5 or S6
strongly.
A copy of this book and the DVD is available in the SMC Library.
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