I knew how it was going it end.
That was the reason why I didn't initially want to read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I was randomly reading an article about a topic that relates to what one of the character goes through (saying what that topic is will just reveal the ending to you) and the writer made mention of the book's ending. That was a letdown.
A few months later, I was looking for something quick to read and I saw it in my ebook library. I figured I'd give it a shot and just focus on how the characters get to the ending, even if I knew I would be somewhat bummed out at the end. Hopefully, it would bum me out the right way.
Louisa 'Lou' Clark has always been ordinary. Though she dresses rather outrageously, she keeps a regular job at a cafe to help out her family, has a steady boyfriend in Patrick who's obsessed with marathons, and lives in the shadow of her younger sister Treena. She ends up losing her job when the cafe closes, so after a string of failed employment options, she applies to be a carer for a quadriplegic. Will Traynor is initially hostile towards Lou, who struggles to find her role in the household, what with a nurse to handle Will's actual medical needs. In time, Lou chips away at Will with her humor and personality. But just as she gets into the groove of her role in Will's life, she learns that her employment is far more complicated than she was led to believe.
If you've ever read any of my previous reading list posts, I usually mention that romance is far down my list of preferences to read and that I only turn to them if I need a break from my usual genre picks or after I've read a particularly heavy book. This time around, I just wanted to finish something fast. I think it was because I was babysitting three kids while they partied to Just Dance on the PS4 at the time and required something that wouldn't be affected by the constant distractions. So, I spent a couple of days reading about Lou and her unusual relationship with Will.
I wouldn't necessarily say that this was an easy read, though my foreknowledge of its ending may have contributed to that feeling. It was easy to breeze through the pages, sure, but Lou's experiences do take a measure of toll on your emotions if you feel empathy for her. It's hard not to root for her, though it's also easy to mirror the frustration that Will feels for her unrealized life. You want to encourage her as she bravely takes on the task of making Will realize that there could be a life for him despite his limited physical state, and you want to smack her on the head at some of the rather poorly planned choices that she makes in line with that goal. She's beset by insecurities and fear, which you want her to snap out of but still try to understand, especially when you learn more about her life and her past. Lou is very human and she's a great anchor in reading Me Before You, because it's her development that you will invest in the most.
In as much as the story chronicles Lou and Will's time together as they begin a tentative friendship that would blossom into so much more than they would expect, it's about two people and what they would decide to do with their lives. This isn't something that offers grand declarations of love and gestures, but there's a lot of heart in whatever the characters end up doing. There's a lot in the book that will get you to smile, but also a lot that can make you feel frustration. And while Lou is at the center of most things, you do get to think about Will and his decisions... and I admit to bouncing back and forth to agreeing and disagreeing with his choice in the end, so detailed was author Jojo Moyes in describing his struggles with being a quadriplegic. The book also does well in tackling how Will's current state and eventual decisions affect his family, and how Lou makes adjustments every time her family has needs. The supporting characters are wonderfully fleshed out, though some tend to come off as caricatures in certain situations, but that paid off for the story, especially if you need a break from its more somber themes.
In truth, I just wanted to cross off Me Before You from my reading list. What I didn't expect is that, despite knowing how it's going to end, I still ended up liking it. I will confess to tears, though never to the point of ugly crying because, again, I knew what was going to happen. But I don't feel too bad about that. The journey getting to the end made for good reading. That more than makes up for spoilery articles that don't give you ample warning that you might end up knowing how a book will end... okay, not really. But I'll take my win and run away with it.
Happy reading!!Labels: Books, Drama, Fiction, Jojo Moyes, Me Before You, Reading List, Romance
