The course of true love never did run smooth. And it’s an idea that writers have been running with for hundreds of years. From star crossed lovers to the friend-zoned comedy relief, it’s a tried and tested method to a great love story filled with enough
twists and turns to keep us interested.
And my new obsession is another of these stories- the wonderful novel ‘Me Before You’ by Jo Jo Moyes. Told from the perspective of a young woman recently out of a job desperately searching for another to keep her family afloat.
Set in a picturesque English town, she stumbles across a job being a carer for a recently disabled man. Now, like most love stories, you know how the basics play out. A somewhat reclusive and bad tempered young man comes into contact with a bright, bubbly, colourful young girl and they inspire one another to become better, more well rounded versions of themselves. But this novel is so much more than simply that. It’s a tale thats been told before with a completely fresh and inspired twist.
It’s hard not to fall in love with the young Louisa, who is so much more than the ditzy eccentric woman you believe her to be at the beginning of the novel. And as we see the world through her eyes, the people around her capture your heart as they do hers. Will Traynor, the man who two years prior to the novel finds himself trapped in a wheelchair unable to move from the neck down, is less than pleased when his mother hires Louisa to be his carer and companion, knowing full well of her true motives.
The book hits you with heart felt revelations and surprises throughout the story, capturing you with well written and thoughtful prose as well as a beautiful character to experience the novel with. I was in a bit of a reading funk before I found this book, struggling to find something that really caught my attention and made me want to stop doing anything apart from just read one page after another…and then this gem came along. It really captures you from the first page, one of only about six to be told from Will’s perspective but riddled with foreshadowing and cliffhangers that get you hooked. The point of view then changes to Louisa’s for the rest of the novel, and we get to see the repercussions of the first few pages through her eyes.
The novel is well paced and progresses nicely from Louisa’s comfort zone and into the unknown. Louisa is our guide, she experiences things as the readers do. This is a comfort to a novel that touches upon a lot of topics that can be hard to talk about, such as disablement or suicide. Moyes write about such matters in a way that enlightens and informs the reader yet still allows the magic of the love story to shine through. It’s a practical romantic novel, one of my favourite kinds.
Overall it was a refreshing and fun novel full of heart and gloriously romantic. A must read for anyone who needs a little love in their life.
And for those who aren’t big readers, have no fear! The wonderful people at Hollywood have made a movie version for us all to enjoy, coming this June! So we can all enjoy Will and Louisa’s story on the big screen as well. Just don’t forget your tissues, because you will get weepy.
8/10
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