Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Overall Rating: ★★★         Difficulty Rating: ★


   Young Lou Clark - with her quirky personality, eccentric dress sense and untrammelled love for cups of tea - enjoys her job at The Buttered Bun cafe. Descending into her late twenties, she seems content to go from job to job to help her family make ends meet. She seems content to carry on with her boyfriend despite being acutely aware that she is not in love with him. She seems content to never leave the confines of the cosy, traditional and small-town Pembroke. 

   That is until she becomes a carer for Will Traynor, whose desire to live was snatched from him following his horrific motorcycle accident. Little do they know that they will each change the other's outlook on life forever.

   A stunningly well crafted novel from Moyes telling of the importance of love, life and loss. There are important lessons to be learnt from this both comedic and heartrending story to do with society's attitudes towards the disabled. They are not people to pity nor to be seen as incapable or an inconvenience. Reading this evokes the realisation that even the most well-meant actions can belittle a person so much, whether it's a sympathetic smile or unwittingly making decisions for others.

   Moyes perfectly reflected Lou's feeling of nostalgia through poetic descriptions of her home town:

Behind me, the sun was setting behind Stortfold Castle, its dark shadow sliding down the hill like melted wax to overtake me. When I was a child, we used to make our elongated shadows have gun battles, our street like the O. K. Corral."

The shadow imagery, indicative of Lou's past, smoothly leads into short anecdotes from her childhood, which provides a very homely feel to the setting. My personal highlight was when the narrator talked about the customers that would come into the cafe, immediately depicting how attentive and chatty she is. It was an enjoyable experience getting to know Lou before diving into the plot.

   In contrast, we have Will Traynor who is the exact opposite of spritely Lou Clark. He never wants to talk and, when he does, it's to make a rude or sarcastic remark and he is certainly never in the mood for a cup of tea. This could surely only spell disaster for Lou when she lands the job of caring for him after losing her job at The Buttered Bun.

   I loved Moyes' use of dramatic irony when she told of Will's motorcycle accident in the third person narrative, ensuring to mention his last name. The next we hear of his last name is when Lou is interviewed by Mrs Traynor, Will's mother, later on in the novel. What adds to the humour is Lou's prejudiced expectations of caring for a quadriplegic:

I pictured myself wiping drool from the old man's mouth, maybe asking loudly, 'DID HE WANT A CUP OF TEA?'"

    Like we bookworms know never to judge a book from its cover, Lou learns that disability has no set definition. Yes, Will Traynor is young, handsome, rich and used to live a full adventurous life complete with ski trips and bungee jumping but that - by all means - does not add extra value to his life. Through Moyes' development of characterisation, we come to see that it's Lou and Will's differences that ultimately bring them closer together.

   Shortly after the production of the film 'Me Before You' starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin, it faced a backlash from disability activists, who claimed that it normalised suicide for disabled people. Personally, I have to disagree. The plot is centred around one disabled individual who wants the right to die; the novel even includes online chatrooms where Lou speaks with other quadriplegics, who overcame their struggles and live happy lives. Therefore, I would argue that the book does not convey the normalisation of suicide for disabled people but, instead, highlights the underlying problem not acknowledged by law: the right to die.

   Moyes' writing style is beautifully engaging from the scenic descriptions (not over the top) to the characters' sharp wit. Very well deserving of the five stars I have never awarded a book before.

16 comments

  1. I read this book last year and I was very conflicted with it. I felt like the topic it was dealing with could be seen a little ambiguously, but it doesn't help that the film probably missed some major points out and caused more of an issue.

    I found that Lou's story line wasn't gone into as much as it could have and brushed past her issues and trauma, maybe the book was trying to do too much with the right to die issue and Lou's ghosted mentions of rape.

    I enjoyed the book but I felt like there was more that could be done with it.

    Lauren :) x

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    1. I completely agree with you about the film - it definitely left out some crucial parts from the book, which would have helped people understand the message more!

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  2. I really do want to read this book it seems like it has really powerful message

    Ellie
    www.headintheclouds.me.uk

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    1. I would certainly recommend it; it discusses some very important issues that remain a problem in today's society :)

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  3. Great review! A film which is on my watch list, so defo need to read the book before hand! x

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    1. Definitely read the book before you see the film if you can because there are some crucial parts the film does not cover!

      Meg x

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  4. Lovely review! I've wanted to read this book for a while and I have definitely been persuaded to now since you rated it five stars! x

    Erin // Everything Erin

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    1. Aw, I'm glad! I hope you enjoy it; let me know your verdict!

      Meg x

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  5. I read this years ago and loved it then and then reread it before I saw the film. Both make me cry so much! It's such a good but sad story x

    Tiffany x www.foodandotherloves.co.uk

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    1. I've nearly finished the sequel! Have you read it?

      Much love,

      Meg x

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  6. I haven't read the book but I loved the film. I understand that it probably left out some crucial parts but what adaptation doesn't? I think i'd enjoy the book too though! xxx

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    1. I would definitely recommend the book - one of my favourites! You're completely right. I believe the film covered the main issues and captured the characters well enough and that's the important thing :)

      Much love,

      Meg x

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  7. Aww I loved your review of this! I really enjoy reading book reviews because it lets me know if it's worth it or not to put on my reading list. I think I'll have to add this one, I've seen the film so it would be nice to read the book.

    Jordanne || Thelifeofaglasgowgirl.co.uk

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  8. I have so many books I want to read and now this one has just been added to the list thanks to your review.
    Alicia x
    Aesthetic Obsessed

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  9. I like JoJo Moyes, but I haven't read this particular book before! I'll have to pick it up next time I'm wanting something to read :)

    Louise x

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