One Day by David Nicholls

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In 1988, the day after commencement, two college graduates briefly, romantically collide. The girl has pined for the boy for years; the boy is more aware of the girl than he lets on. She’s an earnest, outspoken lefty, he a handsome, apolitical toff who “liked the word ‘bourgeois’ and all that... read more

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Summary edit see section history

15th July 1988. Emma and Dexter meet on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows?

Characters/People edit see section history

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Emma Morley: Studious and lacking self-confidence, Emma comes from a working class background and strives to make a difference in the world through drama and teaching. After a night with a new acquaintance, Dexter, a fire of passion has started and will forever burn.
Dexter Mayhew: He is rich and gained a 2.2 in anthropology. He goes through life with money as no object - a stark contrast to Emma who is often working bad jobs for little money. Dexter is fairly self centered and immature, but has a special place in his heart for Emma. No matter where he is, Emma never leaves his thoughts and he can't explain why.
Ian Whitehead: Works at Loco Caliente with Emma. Has a crush on Emma, who shuns his many advances. He wants to be a comedian, but is not all that funny.
Sylvie Mayhew: A beautiful woman from a well-off family. Dexter eventually begins a relationship with her.
Alison Mayhew: Dexter's mother, a very beautiful woman. She studied fashion in London but now sells 'expensive rugs and chandeliers to genteel Oxford with great success'.
Stephen Mayhew: Dexter's father. He often takes a tough stance on Dexter's erratic and disrespectful behaviour.
Mr. Godalming (Phil): The headmaster of Emma's school. He cheats on his wife. Known to students as "Beard" or "Monkeyman" due to his large, dark beard.
Callum O'Neill: Dexter's college friend who made it big by refurbishing computers and then opening natural food stores.
Suki Meadows: Dexter's very bubbly and very loud co-presenter on TV. Dexter and Suki date for a short period of time.
Jasmine Alison Viola Mayhew: Dexter's daughter, a product of his relationship with Sylvie. She has wit like her father and is beautiful like her mother.
Tilly Killick: Emma's roommate and friend from college. She is often mentioned as leaving her bras in the bathroom sink, and as having a brief relationship with Dexter.
Sonya Richards: A very smart and aggressive girl at Emma's school that she considers her 'project'. She is one of the students who is involved in the production of 'Oliver'
Ian: Add a description of this character.
Gary Nutkin: Director of Sledgehammer Theatre Co-operative. He offers Emma a job in the theatre company, acting out instructional lessons for kids.
Naomi: One of Dexter's many girlfriends. Her name is pronounced Gnome-y
Tara: A woman and masseuse that Dexter meets in a nightclub that prefers using her hands to communicate.
Murray Cope: One of Sylvie's younger brother - a twin.
Sam Cope: One of Sylvie's younger brothers - a twin.
Stephanie Shaw: College friend of Emma's. Works at a book publisher. Emma often thinks of Stephanie's success, and wishes the same for herself.
Marsha: Stephanie Shaw's boss. Stephanie describes her as an eccentric but brilliant woman.
Scott McKenzie: The manager of Loco Caliente, the Mexican restaurant where Emma works. He leaves the job to work at an Italian restaurant.
Lionel Cope: Sylvie's father.
Helen Cope: Sylvie's mother.
Ingrid: Also called 'Scary Ingrid'. One of Dexter's many love interests.
Martin Dawson: The head boy of the school where Emma teaches. He plays Oliver Twist in the production Emma directs.
Julie Criscoll: Fictional character in a book series written by Emma Morley.
Marianne Morley: A nurse, Emma's sister. Divorcee with two children, somewhat bitter and critical.
Toby Moray: Dexter's antagonistic co-presenter
Fiona Godalming: Phil Godalming's wife. Does not know that her husband is cheating on her.
Jean-Pierre Dusollier: A man Emma meets in France. They begin dating, despite the language barrier.
Cassie Mayhew: Dexter's sister. Takes care of their parents when they are in ill health.
Jim Morley: Emma's father
Sue Morley: Emma's mother.
Maddy: One of Dexter's employees. Later on they evolve in a love affair that in my opinion helps Dexter fill the gap that he feels since Emma's death.
Pete: One of Dexter's employees
Jack: One of Dexter's employees
Miffy Buchanan: A college classmate that neither Emma nor Dexter cared very much for.
Samir Chaudhari: One of Emma's students that performs in the class production of 'Oliver'
Tove Angstrom: One of Dexter's English-As-A-Second-Language students.
Benoit: One of the cooks at Loco Calliente, where Emma works
Yolande: One of Dexter's many girlfriends.
Mrs Grainger: One of the staff members at Emma's school. She assists with the production of 'Oliver'
Sarah C
Luiza
Barbara
Sid
Adam
Lech
Aaron
Jerzy
Heidi Schindler
Biggsy
Mari
Helmut Lang
John Smith
Mary

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Quotes edit see section history

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“" 'I suppose the important thing is to make some kind of difference,' she said. 'You know, actually change something.' 'What, like "change the world", you mean?' ' Not the whole entire world. Just the little bit around you."”
Emma & Dexter
“`Live each day as if it‘s your last', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Go out there with your passion and your electric typewriter and work hard at something. Change lives through art maybe. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance.”
“"We've always told you that you can be anything you want to be, if you work hard enough."”
“Once again Dexter is struck by how easy conversation can be when no-one is in their right mind.”
“Sylvie sighs. "What have you been up to?"I have smoked cigarettes, got drunk, doped our baby, phoned old girlfriends, trashed the house, danced around mumbling to myself. I have fallen over like a drunk in the street.”
Dexter
“Like some overcrowded party, no- one had noticed her arrival, and no-one would notice if she left.”
“Recklessness, spontaneity didn‘t really suit her, she couldn‘t carry it off, the results were never what she hoped for.”
“He wanted to live life in such a way that if a photograph were taken at random, it would be a cool photograph.”
“As the possibility of a relationship had faded, Emma hadendeavoured to harden herself to Dexter’s indifference and thesedays a remark like this caused no more pain than, say, a tennis ballthrown sharply at the back of her head. These days she barely evenflinched. ‘That’s nice for you both, I’m sure.’ She poured wine into aplastic cup. ‘So if she’s not your girlfriend, what do I call her?’”
“Good. Here it is. I think you're scared of being happy, Emma. I think you think that the natural way of things is for your life to be grim and grey and dour and to hate your job, hate where you live, not to have success or money or God forbid a boyfriend (and a quick discersion here--that whole self-deprecating thing about being unattractive is getting pretty boring I can tell you). In fact I'll go further and say that I think you actually get a kick out of being disappointed and under-achieving, because it's easier, isn't it? Failure and unhappiness is easier because you can make a joke out of it. Pg. 42.”
Dexter Mayhew
“"So - whatever happened to you?""Life. Life happened."”
Dexter Mayhew
“Sometimes you are aware when your great moments are happening, and sometimes they rise from the past. Perhaps it's the same with people.”
“They spoke very little of their mutual feelings: pretty phrases and warm attentions being probably unnecessary between such tried friends.”
“Dexter, I love you so much. So, so much, and I probably always will . I just don‘t like you anymore. I‘m sorry.”
Emma to Dexter
“Dexter: I just thought it might be a good idea. Dex and Em, Em and Dex, the two of us. Just try it for a while, see how it worked. I had thought that‘s what you wanted too.‘Emma: It is. It was. Back in the late Eighties.‘Dexter: So why not now?‘Emma: Because. It‘s too late. We‘re too late. I‘m too tired.‘”
Emma and Dexter
“Live each day as if it‘s your last‘, that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that?”

Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance.
Highlighted by 936 Kindle customers
‘Live each day as if it’s your last’, that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn’t practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you.
Highlighted by 543 Kindle customers
The trick of it, she told herself, is to be courageous and bold and make a difference. Not change the world exactly, just the bit around you. Go out there with your double-first, your passion and your new Smith Corona electric typewriter and work hard at … something. Change lives through art maybe. Write beautifully. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved if at all possible. Eat sensibly. Stuff like that.
Highlighted by 527 Kindle customers
He wanted to live life in such a way that if a photograph were taken at random, it would be a cool photograph. Things should look right. Fun; there should be a lot of fun and no more sadness than absolutely necessary.
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I love him, she thought, I’m just not in love with him and also I don’t love him. I’ve tried, I’ve strained to love him but I can’t. I am building a life with a man I don’t love, and I don’t know what to do about it.
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‘Sometimes you are aware when your great moments are happening, and sometimes they rise from the past. Perhaps it’s the same with people.’ James Salter, Burning the Days
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‘That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it and think how different its course would have been. Pause, you who read this, and think for a long moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on that memorable day.’ Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
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Their friendship was like a wilted bunch of flowers that she insisted on topping up with water. Why not let it die instead?
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Letters, like compilation tapes, were really vehicles for unexpressed emotions and she was clearly putting far too much time and energy into them.
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‘They spoke very little of their mutual feelings: pretty phrases and warm attentions being probably unnecessary between such tried friends.’ Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd
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Setting & Locations edit see section history

Takes places most years on July 15 between 1988 - 2007.

London: Majority of the story takes place in London and its suburbs.
Edinburgh: Location of the University where Dexter and Emma meet and thus the beginning of the relationship.
Dodecanese Islands, Greece: Vacation place for Emma and Dexter
Paris: Emma lives here after becoming an author.
Rome: Dexter teaches here after graduation.
India: A part of Dexter's travels after college graduation
Leeds, England: Where Emma is originally from.
Oxfordshire, England: Where Dexter is from.
England

First Sentence edit see section history

'I suppose the important thing is to make some sort of difference,' she said.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Chapter 1 - The Future
Chapter 2 - Back to Live
Chapter 3 - The Taj Mahal
Chapter 4 - Opportunities
Chapter 5 - The Rules of Engagement
Chapter 6 - Chemical
Chapter 7 - G.S.O.H.
Chapter 8 - Showbusiness
Chapter 9 - Cigarettes and Alcohol
Chapter 10 - Carpe Diem
Chapter 11 - Two Meetings
Chapter 12 - Saying 'I Love You'
Chapter 13 - The Third Wave
Chapter 14 - Fathering
Chapter 15 - Jean Seberg
Chapter 16 - Monday Morning
Chapter 17 - bigdayspeech.doc
Chapter 18 - The Middle
Chapter 19 - The Morning After
Chapter 20 - The First Anniversary - A Celebration
Chapter 21 - Arthur's Seat
Chapter 22 - The Second Anniversary - Unpacking
Chapter 23 - The Third Anniversary - Last Summer