On the Back Cover
It’s 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day—July 15th—of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself.
My Thoughts
The novel starts on July 15, 1988, in the wee hours of the morning, after a night of partying to celebrate graduating from university. Emma Morley is the bookish academic, passionate about women's rights, proudly anti-right wing, but a little unsure of herself. Dexter Mayhew is the classic, uber confident, good looking charmer who manages to schmooze his way through life. The chapters are broken down chronologically so the reader gets to see what happens in both their lives every July 15th, how their relationship grows over this time, and also how they grow as individuals. They each ultimately always see the best in the other, and despite the fact that life constantly throws them in different directions, they undoubtedly bring out the best in the other person when they're together.
I feel like I rode the emotional roller coaster that was their relationship. At various times throughout the novel, I could be frustrated with Emma, then proud of her; disappointed with Dexter, then sympathising with him; and laughing with both of them or sighing at their mistakes. You know getting into the novel that it's going to be a journey of how they find themselves back together, but there are so many stops and detours along the way, and personally, I found it really easy to empathise with both characters and to immerse myself the nostalgic ambiance of the story. To me, it didn't matter that the end was somewhat predictable, I'm glad it happened the way it did, and honestly, the more interesting part was getting there. I also thought that the additional closure at the end provided comfort, and left me with a pleasant aftertaste.
Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot. I'd also be interested in seeing the movie -- apparently I've been living in a hole and had not known of the movie rendition, until of course I saw the front cover of the copy I picked up.
Wine Pick
Since I've been fairly busy at work, it took me a while to get through this novel. Consequently, there was no one drink that I sipped whilst reading it -- no particular drink I thought to connect with the story. So today it will just be something I tried this week.
I've tried a lot of Pinot Noirs over the past couple of months in my wine and food pairing class I'm taking (apparently it's the "food friendly" wine), and have to say for the most part, I'm not a fan. They're usually too smokey with no body to back it up for my liking. However, I did try one this past week that I really enjoyed. Same light body, but without all that smoke and a lot more fruit. It's a 2008 Deen Vat 10 Pinot Noir by De Bortoli Wines. Yum!
I feel like I rode the emotional roller coaster that was their relationship. At various times throughout the novel, I could be frustrated with Emma, then proud of her; disappointed with Dexter, then sympathising with him; and laughing with both of them or sighing at their mistakes. You know getting into the novel that it's going to be a journey of how they find themselves back together, but there are so many stops and detours along the way, and personally, I found it really easy to empathise with both characters and to immerse myself the nostalgic ambiance of the story. To me, it didn't matter that the end was somewhat predictable, I'm glad it happened the way it did, and honestly, the more interesting part was getting there. I also thought that the additional closure at the end provided comfort, and left me with a pleasant aftertaste.
Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot. I'd also be interested in seeing the movie -- apparently I've been living in a hole and had not known of the movie rendition, until of course I saw the front cover of the copy I picked up.
Wine Pick
Since I've been fairly busy at work, it took me a while to get through this novel. Consequently, there was no one drink that I sipped whilst reading it -- no particular drink I thought to connect with the story. So today it will just be something I tried this week.
I've tried a lot of Pinot Noirs over the past couple of months in my wine and food pairing class I'm taking (apparently it's the "food friendly" wine), and have to say for the most part, I'm not a fan. They're usually too smokey with no body to back it up for my liking. However, I did try one this past week that I really enjoyed. Same light body, but without all that smoke and a lot more fruit. It's a 2008 Deen Vat 10 Pinot Noir by De Bortoli Wines. Yum!
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