First of all: I'm not very good at maths, but 2007 minus 1988 gives 19 years, not twenty fO.o Did my book miss the 2008 chapter? fO.o 
 Alright, I give up: I like evasive literature only. I didn't get the point of this book at all. What exactly is telling me this book? Life isn't fair and real love stories are tragic or something like that?? If it was that, I would have been happy if anybody had told me before I bought the book. I finished it unhappy, depressed and very disappointed. 
 I liked the style, I mean, how the book was written, the words and expression chosen, but not the story itself. The only real-like, down-to-earth character was Emma, she was the one who grew up and developed like a normal human being. Or perhaps I just understood it that way because she is the most alike to me character I've ever read (except for the parts of not telling the truth to Ian or Dexter when they were performing very poorly in their jobs). (view spoiler)[That's why when she died in page 385, I was about to burn the book at 451degF. It wasn't because the unfairness of the whole situation, it was for the boredom of reading 385 pages of depressing telling how they loved each other very much, but were too stupid, afraid or not enough drunk to come forward to a decision and/or an action. And because at the point when she died, she was at a moment in her life that could be very difficult to get out of it well written... The option to kill her was the easiest one to end the book, nevertheless it was a cheap solution. (hide spoiler)] 
 The only clear thing I extracted for this book is the carpe diem thing or the typical "you don't learn to appreciate what you had, until you have lost it" !! 
 (view spoiler)[And what exactly are the last three chapters for? To see how Dexter overcomes Emma's death and learns to live with it, so that we, readers, can be happy for him? Or just to show us which one is the real main character? (hide spoiler)] 
 The worst part of the book is (view spoiler)[(beside Emma's unnecessary death) (hide spoiler)]: Dexter was an alcoholic for most part of the book and it wasn't told anywhere. No mention at all. Nice *said with sour sarcasm* 
 The only good part that saved the book of being burnt and would provide it with a ride to the town library: the 15th July 1988 memories in the last three chapters. The story of the first day that it wasn't told in the first chapter was pretty, but made me want to cry my eyes out.