Me before you follows the life of Louisa Clark who’s life is thrown into upheaval by the sudden closure of the café she works in. In her small tourist town this leaves her with little option but to apply for caring jobs. This is where she meets her new employer Camilla Trainor and her son Will, a quadriplegic who will change her life forever.
You may already be familiar with the storyline as this book was made into a film a few years ago, however after seeing/reading both I can safely say I much prefer the book. The contract is only for six months however the wage is very high, especially for the level of work that is required. Louisa is a larger than life character and Moyes can communicate that throughout the whole book often making references to her style and inability to hide what she is feeling.
I enjoyed this book, especially how none of the characters felt “flat” for lack of a better description. Except for Louisa’s boyfriend Patrick, but in my opinion, he does not deserve any more dimension. It’s not my usual genre but I would definitely add it to your to read list.
If you don’t know the story and would like to read it or watch the movie without spoilers, I would suggest you stop reading here and check back for some discussion once you are finished.
Not too far through the book Louisa overhears why her contract is only for six months, Will is planning a trip to Dignitas in Switzerland to end his life on his own terms. This is following a failed suicide attempt after which his mother (Camilla) convinced him to give her six months to change his mind.
From this point on Louisa dedicates nearly all of her time and energy on convincing Will to change his mind without letting him know what she has overheard. She plans outings for him and activities, some more successful than others, in order to try and remind him he still has something to live for.
Her plan culminates in a once in a lifetime holiday to America with white water rafting, parachuting and other activities designed to remind Will of his life before the accident where he was a bit of an adrenaline junkie. However he falls ill with pneumonia and is not able to make the trip and as time is running out Louisa plans the a smaller more relaxing holiday to Mauritius.
Louisa develops deep feelings for Will which he returns over the course of the book, but it is built up at a slow and steady level which I really appreciate. I hate when books throw two complete strangers together and call it love instead of just chemistry.
Despite all of Louisa’s efforts she is not able to change Wills mind, even offering her heart to him is not enough, his suffering is too great to accept it.
I cried at the end of this book, especially when Louisa defies her parents to fly to Switzerland and be with Will and his family in his last moments. I feel like this book was incredibly brave, I’m not overly familiar with the genre but having it end in such a heart-breaking way is not something I would have expected. Moyes does it beautifully and I truly admire how raw the emotions she was able to express throughout the book were.
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