ONE Day, a bittersweet love story, has won the 2010 Oxford Mail/Waterstone’s Oxford Book of the Year prize.

The contest was launched last year by The Guide, the Oxford Mail’s weekly entertainment supplement.

The Oxford Mail and Waterstone’s joined forces to select One Day by David Nicholls as the winner from this year’s Book of the Month selections, which are featured in The Guide.

It tells the story of Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew, who meet just as they are about to leave Edinburgh University.

The novel then revisits Emma and Dexter on the same day, St Swithin’s Day, over the next 20 years until the story’s dramatic conclusion.

The author David Nicholls, 43, visited Waterstone’s in Broad Street yesterday to pick up his prize, an engraved glass decanter.

He said: “I am delighted my book has been chosen for this prize. It came as a complete surprise.

“I first started writing this book four years ago and now it is being read all over the world.

“But I have been so busy promoting it that I have not had the chance to do any more writing, it has been very hectic. Next year, I am looking forward to working on something different.

“I think One Day works well as a book club title because it gives readers lots to talk about.

“They can make connections between what happens in the book and their own lives, and think about changes that take place in their own lives as they get older.”

Mr Nicholls, from North London, added: “I have received lots of emails from readers who tell me about their own Emma or Dexter, and talk about them in terms of the one that got away.”

Emma Knight, a spokesman for publisher Hodder, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that David’s book has been selected for this prize.”

Mark Pocock, manager of Waterstone’s, said: “We are delighted that David has come to Oxford to pick up his prize.

“The story has a universal appeal. Men and women both enjoy it.

“The novel was not an instant success but now it has really taken off.”

Jeremy Smith, editor of The Guide, added: “This is the title that really stood out for us. It is smart, sassy, funny and sad, and it appeals to both men and women readers.”

One Day recently won the Galaxy Popular Fiction Book of the Year award and is being made into a movie starring Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway.

Mr Nicholls’ novel has now sold around 400,000 copies in Britain and the book has just re-entered the top 10 bestsellers list.

The author trained as an actor before switching to writing and his TV credits include the third series of Cold Feet, and an adaptation of Tess of the D’Urbervilles for BBC TV.

His two previous novels are Starter for Ten and The Understudy.

Last year, Chris Cleave won the first Oxford Mail/Waterstone’s Oxford Book of the Year contest with The Other Hand, the story of a Nigerian asylum seeker.

  • For a full interview with David Nicholls, see next week’s The Guide.