By Josie Silver
This book is a case of “don’t judge a book by its blurb”.
I begam reading One Day in December on a cold, rainy day the week before Christmas, when I was feeling low and desperate for light-hearted escapism. The book had been an impulse purchase a few Decembers prior after someone recommended it, but the blurb had put me off. It gave an impression of insta-love and a cheesy Hallmark-style plot. Perfect for how I was feeling that day, but not my usual cup of tea. And I’m glad my mood pushed me to reach for it, because the story was a wonderful surprise.
As the blurb states, the story begins with our main character Laurie experiencing love at first sight through a bus window one freezing December day. She spends a year searching for him in shops, cafes, and bars with no luck. Then the following year, at a Christmas party, her best friend introduces her to her new boyfriend, and she finally comes face-to-face with the boy she saw through the bus window.
From then on, we follow how Laurie and Jack’s lives grow in parallel and interweave over the course of ten years. The story gently portrays how relationships are at the mercy of timing and circumstances, and when your paths line up and you’re given a chance, it’s your bravery or indecision that determines the rest.
The story is dual-perspective, flipping between Laurie and Jack. It has been written in first-person perspective, which is expertly done. It invites you in, with a good balance between showing and telling. Occasionally, the characters ramble and share a lot of information, but it never feels heavy or like exposition.
The characters are obviously flawed. Laurie is your typical lost twenty-something, struggling to find her place in the world. It often draws comparisons to Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding. At the start of the book, her obsession with the boy from the bus is relatable: when life feels chaotic, fixating on some guy who could solve everything if he were to just fall in love you is a typical crutch. And Jack, at times, is a bit of a coward and womaniser. But their flaws are endearing, and it makes the story and the relationship between them is so very real.
Despite my first judgement, One Day in December would make an amazing Christmas movie or limited series.
Descriptive writing: 7/10
Character depth: 8/10
Pace of the story: medium.
For fans of One Day by David Nicholls.