Netflix's 'My Oxford Year' Emotional Ending, Explained: Does Jamie Die in the Book, Too?

Netflix's new romantic drama My Oxford Year has left viewers crying their eyes out with its emotional final ending, prompting many to ask: Does Jamie die in the book, too?

The film, based on Julia Whelan's novel of the same name, follows Anna, a high-achieving American who delays a growing career to study poetry at Oxford, only to fall in love with her professor, Jamie. Their romance is cut short by the revelation that Jamie has terminal cancer.

The film's ending is heartbreaking, with Jamie's fate left visually implied rather than confirmed on screen. But for those wondering how the source material handles his story, the book takes a somewhat different, more ambiguous approach. Heavy SPOILERS ALERT!

The Film's Final Moments Reveal Jamie's Fate

In the film, Anna (played by Sofia Carson) makes a life-changing decision to stay in Oxford and be with Jamie (Corey Mylchreest), despite learning about his terminal illness. Jamie, suffering from an aggressive cancer that has already claimed his brother's life, initially tries to push Anna away, fearing he'll become a burden. But Anna refuses to let him go, choosing love over certainty.

The morning after an emotional reunion, Anna wakes to find Jamie unresponsive. He is rushed to the hospital, where it's revealed he has developed a critical case of pneumonia, a complication worsened by chemotherapy. Though doctors recommend further treatment, Jamie's father ultimately honours his son's wish to forego aggressive care.

The film does not show Jamie's death; instead, viewers see Anna lying next to him in the hospital, then hear her recount the European tour Jamie had once dreamed of taking. A montage follows of the couple visiting picturesque locations like Paris, Venice, and Amsterdam before the sequence resets, showing Anna alone. It becomes clear the tour was imagined; Jamie had passed away.

The narrative closes with Anna returning to the Oxford classroom, now as a poetry instructor, offering her students the same Victoria sponge cake Jamie once used to open his course.

What Happens to Jamie in the Book?

In Whelan's original novel, the protagonist is named Ella (short for Eleanor), and while the central arc remains the same, where an American student falls in love with a dying man at Oxford, the conclusion leaves more room for interpretation.

Jamie's health decline is a significant part of the novel's later chapters, and he too participates in a clinical trial. However, his death is not depicted or directly confirmed. Instead, the story shifts focus to Ella's internal journey. She ultimately decides not to return to the US for a political campaign job, choosing instead to stay in the UK and pursue a different path, much like Anna does in the film.

The novel closes on a note that is reflective rather than tragic. Through Ella's narration, it's made clear that while she and Jamie may not have been destined to grow old together, the experience changed her. 'He altered the trajectory of my life,' Ella says. The emotional level is tender in the book, but the storytelling is more subdued, leaving readers to infer Jamie's fate.

Also in the book, Jamie and Ella get the chance to take the Euro trip as Jamie was able to buy some more time because of his treatment.

Why the Changes?

The imagined travel montage, followed by Anna's solo journey, serves as a metaphor for grief and memory in the film, making it heartful and heartbreaking at the same time. The decision to end with Anna teaching poetry also departs from the book, but aligns with the film's theme of legacy.

While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Sofia Carson, who plays Anna in the film, said, 'The biggest tearjerker moment was when Jamie would disappear, and then, you would see her in all the places alone,' Carson said.

She added, 'There was a lot of debate, but we all agreed where it ended was the most beautiful ending for Anna and Jamie.'