A Book Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You is a romance novel written by British novelist Jojo Moyes. This novel currently enjoys a very positive response from readers and critics alike (a quick glimpse at Goodreads shows the ladies make up the primary readership for this book). Despite romance novels not being my fort, I still read this book upon the recommendation from Goodreads. I read this book because I think life offers some of its best surprises when we try out new things.

Admittedly, I dived headlong into this book without knowing what to expect from it.

Me Before You turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Despite this book's pink and “chick-lit”cover art, this novel is not what I expected it to be. I borrowed this book from my local library and I read it, from cover to cover, in 24 hours. I finished this book quickly because I could not put it down, and its story moved me deeply. After I finished this book, I decided to write a review for it.

Ten thousands of insightful reviews for this book, mostly written by ladies with brilliant minds, fill the corners of the internet. I do not think we should limit our exposure to a piece of literature based on our gender, but I am probably one of the very few male readers who is writing a review for this book, and I hope after you have read my review, you will find something that may interest you.

Synopsis:

In a small English country town, Louis Clark and Will Traynor are about to find out, what is it like to meet someone who will change you for all time.

Louis is 26 years old. She has a comfortable job at The Butter Bun Tea shop, and she has a boyfriend who she has been going out with for 7 years. Louis' life is surrounded by familiarities, and she feels comfortable about her life. But Louis' world is about to change dramatically. It began when Louis was made redundant at her work.

Louis' job search led her to apply for the position as a carer at the Traynor family. Her new job is taking care of Will Traynor, a character whose life is shrouded in mystery.

Will Traynor is 35 years old. Two years ago, a motorbike accident made him a quadriplegic, binding him to a wheelchair and stripped him of everything he had. Will's world is pitch black, and he has no desire to live.

When Louis and Will's worlds intertwine, their lives experienced a burst of color and neither of them will ever be the same again.

My thoughts about this book:

Me Before You is very well written. Jojo Moyes impressed me because she was able to spin a multifaceted, complex story but still made it very easy to read and follow. The story in this book is both captivating and fast-paced (I finished it in 24 hours). The characters are vividly portrayed and they feel real. When I was reading this book, I found these characters likable and relatable, and I could feel their hopes, joys and grief.

Many reviewers wrote that Me Before You made them cry, while I agree that the story is very moving, but this book is not bleak or depressing. Instead, I would describe Me Before You as bitter-sweet. When I was reading this book, I smiled at the story's witty, light-hearted moments. But I also felt the full emotional impact, as words on the pages revealed heart-wrenching moments in front of my eyes. I think Me Before You tells a story that will stay with you, and I miss the characters from this book. This is why I am adding this book to my list of favored stand alone novels.

Me Before You is not your typical romance novel. Yes, the book revolves around a love story, but it also encompasses a lot more than just a love story. For examples, the premise of this book is based on the controversial topic of euthanasia.

When it comes to euthanasia debate, I am still sitting on the fence. I have listened to a few academic debates about this topic (such as last year's debate pitting Peter Singer against Archbishop Fisher), but I still haven't made up my mind about which view to support.

Euthanasia, is ultimately a discussion about the human experience and relationship. I always found great irony that for a topic that really should be about the human experience/relationship, most of its arguments are constructed by asserting alleged data about the objective reality; such as quoting from numbers, stats, or religious dogma.

Me Before You, however, made me think about euthanasia from a new direction. In this book, Jojo Moyes did not advocate or promote one view over the other. Instead, she presented arguments both for and against euthanasia, and she does this by inviting her readers to explore this question from the character's viewpoints. Jojo Moyes explored euthanasia, a discussion about human experience/relationship, via a human story. This is a very good way at exploring the euthanasia debate.

When I finished reading this book, I remain sitting on the fence about euthanasia debate, but I did walk away with a new insight, that I should not judge pepole hastily because I will never know what it is like to be that person facing the exact circumstances. This also means there is no quick and easy answer to euthanasia debate, because the totality of human experience and relationship is so complex and dynamic that it would not do justice to squash all of it into a binary system of right or wrong, good or evil.

However, the main theme for Me Before You is not the euthanasia debate. From my interpretation, this story is communicating a meaningful message, about overcoming fears and be aspired to live a purposeful life despite having a past. I believe this is a message a lot of people can resonate with and find it useful.

Me Before You tells a moving story that will stay with you. This book made me smile, grieve, and hope. It made me rethink and care about many things, things that I have not considered carefully in the past. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good book to read.

P.S. Unlike most readers, this book didn't make me cry. But I confess the ending REALLY moved me, and when I finished the book my eyes were moist with tears.