Robyn answers “What did you think the purpose of Em dying...”

Phoebe asked this question about One Day:

What did you think the purpose of Em dying was? Was it to teach us or the characters a lesson? If so, what lesson?

Robyn To me it felt like Nicholls just didn't know what to do with his characters once he finally and inevitably had them get together, so in order to creat…moreTo me it felt like Nicholls just didn't know what to do with his characters once he finally and inevitably had them get together, so in order to create some sense of story arc he killed Em off. Up until this point in the book I had really enjoyed the story, the characterisations and writing despite not really liking either Em or Dex as people. I felt cheated and annoyed to be honest. I knew some tragedy was in the works because it had been hyped up to me but the clinical manner in which she was killed off meant that I didn't even care when it happened and the seemingly unending and pointless chapters that followed only served to remind me of the "Christ, will it ever end?" feeling I had while watching the similarly excruciating ending(s) of The Return of the King. It felt lazy and devoid of meaning after creating quite a rich tapestry for most of the book, but maybe that's the point? The futility of existence? I find it hard to accept that given that for the most part the book is a just a diverting piece of chick lit. (less)

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Phoebe Completely agree, it felt like a bit of a cop out :/
Feb 04, 2015 10:58PM · flag

Nadia If you hear David speak about the Novel, he knew from the very beginning what would happen. He was inspired by a novel he read in his childhood (I for ...more
Nov 17, 2020 01:39PM · flag

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