“...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.”
‘ME BEFORE YOU’ was the second novel by Moyes I read. Like many other second reads by the same author, it did not compare to the first novel that I had read - ‘THE GIRL YOU LEFT BEHIND’; but it did not dishearten either, far from it. Her magical way of telling these tales is what made me pick this one off the shelves. I started it and was hooked instantly; Moyes’ writing rushed back to me.
This story is about a man who had, what seemed like a perfect life. Born in a wealthy family, Will had lived that elite life with all the arrogance. From living with his girlfriend in a fancy apartment in London to spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair back at his parents’ house, his life had taken a complete turn into a tornado that would probably never settle. Will was immobile without the slightest help from his nurse and that made him frustrated and angry at life.
Then enters Louisa, someone who brings in her own baggage. Lou lives in a small house with a big family. She was satisfied with her life; had a boyfriend for seven years, lived in the town she had grown up with her adoring family. What else could she need?
She was hired by Will’s mother to take care of him. To cater to his basic needs and maybe liven up his environment a little, which seemed like an atrocious task to his entire family to take upon themselves.
The relationship Lou and Will share goes from not being able to stand each other to something so beautiful that left everyone in awe. She had become more than just a caretaker; she had become a friend who brought in the color and laughter back in his life by showing him the sun again. Lou tried taking him back to the life he had, in the only outlandish way she could.
Their effect on each other was reflecting on their changing lives. Lou was opening the doors again back to the world he had been missing out on. Will was introducing her to classical music and literature, encouraging her to explore the world, broaden her horizons and find herself. Listening to her endless ridiculous stories he got to know her well enough to able to recall even the tiniest events of her life. The same goes with Lou, in regards to her custodian duties and otherwise.
Their bond only grew stronger with time, until Louisa comes across Will’s plan for his impending life. He had kept her in the dark; shielded behind the joy this new chapter of life had given him. After all that she had done for him, they had come a long way from where he was, to turn back now. Did the last few months mean nothing? Will Lou support him in this devastating plan?
Though it being a sensitive topic, it was an easy read and a beautifully written book. The narrative being as predictable as it was, I still enjoyed the journey the characters took me through till the end. You will need a whole tissue box next to you if you’re going to indulge yourself in these pages.