With the release of After You set for the 24th September I thought that it was about time I picked Me Before You by Jojo Moyes up from my bookshelf. This novel is easily the most powerful, incredible and beautiful novel that I have read this year that had a massive impact on me. It’s an important story that everyone should read and one which I know will stay with me, one that I will remember for a long time to come.
In this book we meet Louisa Clark, a young woman who still lives at home with her parents and who, after being made unemployed, is desperate for a job so as to contribute towards the upkeep of the family home. She eventually accepts a position as a private carer for a young quadriplegic named Will who, prior to the accident he was involved in which resulted in him becoming disabled, was a successful business man who lived a life full of action and adventure. Knowing that he will never again live the life he used to or have the opportunity to do the things he so desperately wants to do, Will has made a massive decision which, it transpires, Louisa is to try to get him to change his mind on in just a few short months.
Well what can I say that will do this absolutely amazing, heartfelt and thought-provoking novel justice? First and foremost I loved reading of the relationship and friendship that blossomed between both Louisa and Will and thought that it developed at a perfect, logical pace. That is to say that at first they were both uncertain of and unsure how to act around eachother - Louisa thought she had bitten off more than she could chew by accepting the job in the first place and Will didn’t think he’d be able to get used to or trust someone else, a stranger, with his care. Gradually, however, as they spend more time with one another we see them both overcome the worries and barriers that are between them with the result being the creation of a real connection between the pair.
Then there’s the real-life issues that Jojo Moyes has incorporated into her book and has dealt with so superbly. It certainly made me really think about how I would feel if I was in Will’s position, if my life was changed in an instant and I was unable to fulfil the hopes, dreams and aspirations that I want to. It also made me think of how I would react and what I would do if I was in the position of Louisa and I was responsible for looking after someone in Will’s position who had made his wishes crystal clear.
This is the first novel that I have read by Jojo Moyes and is one that touched me a great deal. It fully deserves every five star review that it has received since it was published a few years ago and I am now very much looking forward to picking up my copy of After You when it is released on the 24th. What a truly unforgettable novel and what an undeniably outstanding author to have crafted such a fantastic work of fiction!
