Me Before You (Jojo Moyes)

I have recently been introduced to Jojo Moyes and love her writing so much that I have now read all of her novels. Most recently I read Me Before You which is an exceptional tale of two very different characters that are thrown together and forced to proceed with their lives whilst facing many unexpected realities along the way. This novel will make you laugh, cry and question your own judgement towards a very real circumstance. There are many twists and turns, all of which will leave you unable to put the book down, as you will be desperate to learn how it ends.

The novel follows Lou Clark who has recently lost her job and is unsure whether she loves her boyfriend Patrick. Desperate to be earning some money to help support her parents she takes on the job of carer to Will Traynor, a 30ish man who after a motorcycle accident has been left paralysed from the neck down and now requires constant care. Though Lou is not qualified, Will’s parents hire her solely for the purpose of cheering Will up and showing him that life is still worth living. For it turns out the Will has given his family six months, after which he wishes to take his own life.

At first the two characters do not get on, Will is very negative about life and finds Lou’s cheeriness annoying. Lou struggles to fit into Will’s family and their world as they are from very different walks of life but she perseveres and the two of them soon find themselves forming an unlikely friendship, but is it enough to convince Will to continue living or will he still plan to take his own life? I won’t give away the ending, as I urge you to read it for yourselves! I’ll just say that the way Jojo touches on this subject of euthanasia, which is still something of a taboo subject in today’s world, will make you wonder what you would do yourself if in this situation. It is done delicately and by the end of the novel you can fully understand why Will would want to end his life, even if you don’t agree with him, which I certainly didn’t.

I definitely recommend this novel as well as all of Jojo Moyes’ others as she is an incredible writer who can trap you into different worlds and leave you hooked for more!