Me before you by Jojo Moyes - Book Review

By
Adonis Monahan
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Me before you

Meet Louisa Clark, an ordinary girl leading an ordinary life with a close family and steady boyfriend. Having never ventured outside their little village, Louisa is pushed out of her comfort zone when she is forced to take on a job as the caretaker of Will Traynor, a man who had the world at his feet and lived a larger than life kind of life until an accident forced him into a wheelchair.

Although the two of them hardly get along at first, it is only with time and patience that they realize they have far more in common than they realized, and Lou sets out to prove that to Will that life is still worth living.

Moyes, while not a newcomer, does manage to break out onto the scene with her second book, a poignant and moving tale, written with plenty of heart, wisdom, and warmth to make it a page-turner.

Book Details

Title: Me before you

Format: Paperback

Author: Jojo Moyes

Language : English

Publisher : Penguin Books

ISBN: 0143109464

More than anything else, Moyes must be applauded for not being afraid to shy away from the finality and challenges a character such as Will faces. Not once does she try and offer false hope, or pull the hood over her readers’ eyes. Instead, she proceeds with sensitivity and compassion, painting her characters with vivid and bold brush strokes.

Louisa is the kind of goofy, cheerful and kind-hearted person we all want to see good things happen too, and it’s hard to picture her with someone as moody, bossy and cynical as Will, but as she peels back Will’s layers, we see a broken man who has erected shields to protect himself, and it’s only Louisa that can let the sun back in.

Me before you is all about choices, and the freedom to make them, and Will’s, in particular, isn’t easy to swallow because of the controversy and backlash, but at least it’s started an important conversation.