I enjoyed David Nicholl's previous novel, 'Starter for Ten', but this is much better.On July 15th, 1988 Emma and Dexter spend a more-or-less chaste night together on their last day at Edinburgh University. Emma is practical, kind and sensible. Dexter is charming and feckless. But they become friends.
The story catches up with them every July 15th up to the present day. We see Dexter getting a career as a TV presenter and blowing it and Emma becoming a teacher and eventually a writer. They both stumble in and out of relationships with other people, but whatever happens as Dexter repeatedly presses the self-destruct button Emma is always there at the end of the phone or going round to sort him out.
It's a love story which has you wanting them to get together and everything to be happy ever after. A bit soppy like the Hornby book below? Probably. But it hooks you.
I fell for Emma and was rooting for her. But interestingly my sister-in-law thought she needed a good slap! So maybe men and women will come to different conclusions about it. Whoever you are though, you'll almost certainly enjoy it. Or maybe not. Let me know.
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PS Rachel has now read it and also enjoyed it, although she saw it as a sad story of two people wasting their lives. Dexter is basically the same character as the 'hero' in Starter for Ten.
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