Picture by Unsplash, via Pixabay
“Hey Clark’, he said. ‘Tell me something good’. I stared out of the window at the bright-blue Swiss sky and I told him a story of two people. Two people who shouldn’t have met, and who didn’t like each other much when they did, but who found they were the only two people in the world who could possibly have understood each other.”
What You Need to Know
Photo was taken by me.
Me Before You is soon to become a movie, read more about it here and click on the links to see which actors will play the lead roles!
Rating: *****
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: 18+ Due to controversial topics
Length: 369 pages (Hardcover copy)
What’s All The Talk About?
Picture by Martin Cavaney, via MelfordMercury
Louisa Clark is a small town girl living her life day to day without an ounce of ambition or willingness to explore uncharted waters. She has never expected much out of life and it seems life has never expected much out of her. Lou figures she’ll marry her fitness-obsessed boyfriend, Patrick, and pop out a kid or two while maintaining her loving, if not exasperating family.
Lou has a terrible time finding a job that she can really handle when she comes across a care taking job for a wealthy man in his thirties. No bathing, changing diapers, or cleaning up puke, how hard can it be right?
Will Traynor, aka ex-Master of the Universe, has been rendered quadriplegic ever since a motorcycle ran him over two years ago. The glamor, adventure, hordes of gorgeous women, and enthusiasm that were once present in his life are no more. Bitter and depressed over his physical incapability, he has shut everyone out of his life and has no desire to please or make friends with anyone, least of all his mousy caretaker, Lou.
When Lou and Will first meet, there are no fireworks or seeds of lustful thoughts that take root, only a strong sense of dislike for one another. In fact, Will tries to run Lou off by making her life impossible.
“It’s not the bloody carrots that upset me. It’s having them sneaked into my food by a madwoman who addresses the cutlery as Mr. and Mrs. Fork.’
‘It was a joke. Look, let me take the carrots and—‘ He turned away from me. ‘I don’t want anything else. Just do me a cup of tea.’ He called after me as I left the room, ‘And don’t try and sneak a bloody zucchini into it.”
Despite Will’s efforts to run Lou off, they form an unlikely friendship that begins to mend wounds, not only for Will but Lou as well. Lou’s less than extraordinary life soon begins to take a turn. Will opens her eyes to the world and makes her see that while his life is ruled by his physical disability, Lou’s has been defined by her emotional disability.
Just as Lou is beginning to attain the courage she needs to live, she learns a terrible secret. Will plans to kill himself in six months and Lou is determined to make him see that life is still worth living.
What Do I Think?
This novel is about friendship and acceptance. It is about learning to deal with the harsh realities of life and loving a person enough to let them go. Most of all, this is a story of healing and finding the courage to live life to the fullest extent.
Not only did I find myself resonating with Lou but the novel had me thinking about the characters long after I reached the last page.
With that being said, I loved this book.
Hopefully, you’ll feel compelled to pick up this jewel, happy reading!
P.S. This book is a part of Oprah’s Book Club.
A Book Nirvana 