Title: One Love By: Thomas Duffy – Book Review

Almost all adults can name and remember “The One That Got Away.” Maybe it was a blind date that could have been over, or maybe that “ex” that ended it for no reason, or it could even be a high school crush you had and were never brave enough to ask to dance. For Timothy Anderson, Melody is the one who got away.

In One Love, author Thomas Duffy tells the story of how Timothy meets Melody in a newspaper personal ad and the two young lovers decide to meet. Their first date is more beautiful than Timothy dared hope, but even though she promises him a second date, Melody stops answering Timothy’s calls. Even after Timothy moved out and started a relationship with a new girlfriend, the elusive Melody plagued his memories. However, in his case, Timothy finds and rediscovers Melody, the one who got away.

One Love follows the wild and melancholic adventure of Timothy and Melody as the two struggle to find security, peace and passion in their lives. For Melody, this meant rekindling her marriage to Timothy, but for Timothy the path is not so clear. Timothy had high aspirations, but instead finds himself trapped in a dead-end job. Timothy lives a life of what he feels is undeveloped potential; wasting his job in retail while dreaming of writing the next great American novel. It becomes a metaphor for the unrealized ambitions of all readers. Timothy is a lonely character, often overwhelmed by life, and we respect him for that.

The best part about Timothy, what makes him so real, is the way his story unfolded slowly, naturally following the course of the novel. His character developed in real time, before our eyes, in direct response to the decisions he made. Much time is spent on Timothy and Melody’s adventure as the two lovers approach middle age and make some tough decisions. Exploring the story of Timothy and Melody, it’s impossible not to put yourself in their shoes. They are caught between love and responsibility, which is the most moral? As author Thomas Duffy promises, readers must examine their own souls to choose from.

Melody, in particular, becomes more real as she struggles between her role as wife and mother, while comparing herself to the person she was before getting married. Timothy is overloaded with his undeveloped potential, a trait that develops throughout the novel. Melody reminds the reader that all of our parents have their own lives to live, in addition to being there for their children.

Without revealing too much of the ending, what I like the most is that Timothy didn’t need a partner to fulfill his ambition. All the advice that his elders gave him about the need for marriage and children was only a springboard in his quest to discover himself.

This book has a positive theme, in the conclusion of One Love we are reminded that each ending is a new beginning. The end of the novel is not the end of Timothy’s story; rather, it is the bridge to the next chapter of your life. It also reminds us that every mistake we make is a learning opportunity. The mistakes that we all make, no matter how important they may seem, do not ruin our entire lives. In the end, like Timothy, we just have to be brave enough to take the steps forward and get our lives back on track.