A totally brilliant book - heartbreaking - fantastic! Emma and Dexter met for the first time on the night of their graduation - July 15, 1988. Tomorrow they will go their separate ways. But, after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. One Day by David Nicholls Vintage June 2010 Dexter Mayhew is a twenty-three year old graduate with no plans for the future. He is a party person - never too serious or concerned about tomorrow. He really doesn't know what he wants to do - maybe photography, feature in magazine articles - he wants fun and lots of it - live life to the extreme.. Maybe he should go into the "media", It is the thing to do at the present time The media is just starting to make it big in television and he feels with his sense of humor and good looks he is a shew in. Emma Morley is just the opposite. She is a quiet- beautiful young lady who doesn't believe she is and has a very low esteem complex, She doesn't know what she will do now she has graduated. The one things she does know is that this night with Dex is a mistake, but she really likes him. Well, all good things must end , a new day, goodbyes and they will never see each other again although they have promised to stay in touch. After graduation she stayed a few days with Dex at his family home. She called his father a fascist which didn't go over too well. They meet again in London where they settle into the maddening familiarity of friendship; for Em at least. Dex is having too much fun traveling and hooking up with every girl he meets to even recognize Em's love..Time passes. Dex is in Rome and Em is in Wolverhampton. They have corresponded semi-frequent and Em is telling Dex that she is taking a position in the Sledgehammer Theatre Co-operative as the lead role in "Cruel Cargo". This is a TIE in piece aimed at 11-13 years old that takes the provocative view that slavery was a Bad Thing. The play is not too great, but it is a job at least. Dex has finally made it into media television. His rise through this world had been meteoric. He started out as a runner and is now Assistant Producer on a weekly magazine program that mixes live music with reports on issues that affect young people of today. Dex is smart, but not Emma-smart, just politic, shrewd, ambitious. He has a great flat in a nice neighbor and seems to be going places - he is famous. He has progressed through more promising positions and is the Golden Boy of television.. He meets and marries Sylvia Cope and they have a baby daughter Jasmine . But, Dex has a problem - booze and drugs. This combination is hurting his career. He soon looses his job and really hits the skids. In the meantime. Em has become a teacher, is having an affair with the headmaster, and living with Ian Whitehead - a wannabe stand up comedian. Neither of these works out and Em is on her own again. But, good things are happening - she is now a published writer - something she always wanted to do, but didn't thing she was good enough. In the meantime things become worse for Dex. He and Sylvia divorce and he turns to Em. They finally acknowledge their love for each other and are planning a wedding. One rainy day as Em is riding her bicycle to look at a home Dex wants to purchase , she is involved into a terrible accident that ends her life. Everything that she thought or felt vanishes and is gone forever. Dex continues to travel - remembering each anniversary of Em's death. He has good and bad memories, but at least he still has Jasmine - his beautiful daughter who is growing into a lovely young lady. This book will made you both sad and happy - you will laugh, cry and think what a jerk Dexter really is. How could he give us a good thing with Emma? Why did he wait so long to acknowledge his true feelings? Emma finally reached her full potential, would now have the man she loved, but faith dealt her a serious blow. Mr. Nicholls is an excellent writer of romantic fiction. He keeps you turning the pages and feeling what his characters feel - whether joy or sadness - happy or down in the dumps. Highly recommended.