I first heard about Me
Before You by Jojo Moyes from a fellow book blogger (Book Addiction)
a while back, so when I located it at my local book sale, I was thrilled and
immediately placed it on top of my to-read pile.
This story juxtaposes two characters. On the one side we have Will Traynor,
epitomizing the stereotypical male – makes a good living, but works to live a
life of adventure and pure enjoyment. He
travels and explores the obscure parts of the world, all while at his side, of
course, stands the gorgeous blond. Only,
wait. This description depicts a Will
before The Accident, before the day he became trapped in a wheelchair as a
quadriplegic, the day before he lost his life, in a manner of speaking. The latter Will breaks all connection to his
former self and succumbs to his depression, closing out his beautiful
girlfriend and family. And this is where
Louisa Clark enters the story. She is
everything Will is not (or was not).
Having never left their small town, she lives with her parents, sister
and nephew. And although she dates
Patrick, we know early on that this long-term relationship is not built on
mutual respect and love. Her quirky sense of style and quick wit add some
sparkle to her otherwise plain and ordinary life.
Will’s mother hires Louisa to babysit Will. The diametric personalities ensure a conflict
between Will and Louisa, yet this conflict develops into a connection, the
connection that draws me in. Louisa
resolves to show Will how to live, how to be happy again. And so, these two juxtaposed characters start
to make a switch. Louisa learns how to
explore new experiences and Will settles for the more ordinary. Or something like that.
While this is a love story, it’s also so much more than a
love story while not being a love story at all.
A bit confusing, I know, but I also the reason why you need to read this
book. Jojo Moyes uses this story as a
backdrop for a broader commentary on both the life as a quadriplegic and how
society reacts to the disabled as well as the idea of assisted suicide. Both of these are “hot” topics that we have a
tendency to push aside. Moyes does a
wonderful job of bringing these topics to our minds without overwhelming us by
their enormity.
The writing styles does not compel me to read and the
awkward chapters written from a different point of view only seem to draw the
reader away from the story, but the ability of Moyes to make us think about
life and love in a new way demands us to read this novel.
I am left with the thought: how will you live your life? I
choose to live by love, at all costs.
