Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book sucked me in good and proper. It’s a love story in the end and all the warnings about needing tissues are justified. It’s a poor girl / rich boy story. It’s a rise above the knockbacks story. It’s the ultimate if you love someone let them go story. A very compassionate story.
Lou Clark has just lost the job she loved at the cafe in her home town of Stortfold (couldn’t help but think of Bishops Stortford with that name). She has never really been anywhere or done much. Will Traynor on the other hand is rich and has packed as much into life as possible but he is now suffering the consequences of a motorcycle accident. Lou’s new job is looking after Will. The novel traces this relationship and is not afraid to deal with the problems faced by people suffering from the consequences of severe accidents. One reviewer on Goodreads claims that Moyes is saying that a disabled life is not worth living but she does not say that. She contrasts characters who think that with characters who don’t and Lou’s grandfather stands as a direct contrast to Will in the whole quality of life scenario. I think Moyes deals successfully with a difficult subject and manages to touch delicately on a sensitive topic.
Couldn’t put it down and cried heaps. What more could you ask in a book?