Where I got it from: I definitely read this originally before the film was released back in 2016 (IMDbhttps://m.imdb.com › titleMe Before You (2016)), but it seems like the original copy went walkies! So I grabbed another copy from my local Oxfam. The same edition is available on Amazon (£4.57), WHSmith (£7.39) and Waterstones (£9.99! It’s even on Apple audio books (£14.99), and their eBook version (£5.99). Definable plenty of ways to give it a try!
Overall:
Reviewing this book has not been the easiest process. Because I read the book years ago, and watched the film nearly a decade ago, I kind of had the gist of how the book went. It must have been moving enough to make me watch the film a few times, and want to re-read the book this time. But still. This review is likely to be more focussed on what my experiences of all of the related releases is. For example, reading the prologue this time around have me a much better understanding of Will’s character *pre accident*. So if you’ve not had any experience of the film or book before, there are going to be some spoilers. But I’m still trying to be an honest reviewer of the book, where I can!
The very first line of the prologue is a giant bit of foreshadowing: “When he emerges from the bathroom she is awake, propped up against the pillows and flicking through the travel brochures that were beside his bed”. His girlfriend at the time being the type of character who just wants to get out there, and experience something. Granted, there are some huge character differences; she wants to just lie back, and relax, but he wants to just get moving, and experience something energetic. If you haven’t read the book, or watched the film yet, this won’t hit too hard. But knowing what happens, makes the very beginning of the story show exactly how he feels, especially as we get further into him opening up a little to Lou.
Reading this book, it seemed to impact me a little more this time around. I’ve been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis for a good few years now. Whilst I’m very aware that multiple sclerosis and quadriplegia are very different, the experiences throughout, from exploring the awkwardness of a parking lot, to finding accessible ways to simply cross, it really hits hard.
“There are things you don’t notice until you accompany someone with a wheelchair. One is how rubbish most pavements are, pockmarked with badly patched holes, or just plain uneven.” I use a walking stick, so I avoid the irritation a little bit, but I’m certainly more aware of the difficulties that can be faced a lot more, especially since the diagnosis. I definitely wouldn’t protest the sorry at all; I think it was a well written, heart-felt story. It just seemed to move me more this time around, due to my own personality experiences.
When the book was adapted to a film, there were protests about the film, as some groups beloved it was “ableist” – discriminatory in favour of able-bodied people. You can watch Jo Jo’s video response to the controversy here:
Jojo Moyes Responds To Controversy Over The Portrayal Of Disability In Me Before You
Once we get to Lou’s determination to change Will’s mind, you can kind of see why some people thought it was ableist; it seems to suggest that becoming a quadriplegic means it’s no longer worth living. Once you learn more of Will’s character, his stubbornness, and how he was very active and trying to push his limits with everything he did, you can understand how he (as a one off, rather as an example of quadriplegics), would want to take control of his own life, and even ending it.
I know that a dramatic change to abilities has a giant hit on mental health. The change from what you used to be able to do, to what you’re now limited to, is hard to get around. I’ve always been the kind of petition to try and find a silver lining in everything, but mental health support has definitely been needed In varying degrees, ever since the diagnosis. If you’re struggling with anything too, you can get some help here in the UK: NHShttps://www.nhs.uk › nhs-servicesMental health services
As there are a few different places that seem to be interested in what a review, As ‘at is mental health month, I’ve added as many links that might be helpful below:
US: NBC Newswww.nbcnews.comHow to get mental health treatment if you can’t afford it
Indonesia: Find a Helplinehttps://findahelpline.com › countriesIndonesia helplines and hotlines
Philippines: http://www.silakbo.ph/help/
Pakistan: Umang Pakistanhttps://www.umang.com.pkUmang – A Mental Health Helpline
Australia: Sponsoredmindhealth.org.auhttps://www.mindhealth.org.auMental Health Helpline
I’m sure the searches for mental health support in individual counties may be more accurate, but I hoped these are useful! One of my choice of self care is getting distracted by a book, so the rest of this post is going to be my thoughts on Me Before You!
Favourite characters:
Will – the prologue gives us a much better understanding of his character before the accident than the film could. He is shown to be a confident, energetic lad, with a passion for an adrenaline rush, busy prowess, and confidence. While the film does try its best to portray a strong, male character, cut down in his youth, the book does a much better job of making this more clear, and even enhancing this a little.
The story shows how just being in touch with the right type of people can make a giant difference in your life. From meeting a new employee, who turns out to be a lot closer, or even a characteristic woman at an exes wedding. Whilst meeting these people has a large impact on his mental health, he is still confident and set on his “use by” date.
Lou – a young, lost woman. She doesn’t know what she wants to do with her own life, but desperately wants to do what is best for her family. Her relationships with her nephew, grandfather, and even the cafe customers, show how caring she is as a character. And the fact that she puts up with Patrick for so long in her life (never mind the period detailed in the story), shows how much she is willing to surrender just to make other people happy.
Meting Will gives her a lot of chances to developing herself. From being a young girl who has only even lived at worked in one place for all her life, it’s when she gets to her late twenties that she realises she can be, and do, so much more. She hates the word, but she really does have a lot of “potential”. It’s her job with Will that helps her to really realise that.
Camilla: we learn about Will’s mother only from Louisa’s view point at first. Lou even overhears a conversation between his sister and his mother, providing some further information on why Louisa has been hired. Under this, we’ve learnt details of her relationship with her husband, how she has responded to Will’s accident, his past friendships, and his medical card. When we get to chapter 8, the chapter is from her view point, and gives us a much more passionate and sentimental understanding of her actions. She’s an upper class, expectedly caring mum; she joined the PTA, kept her career on hold while the children were growing up, and then focused on her work role, until Will’s accident. She is a religious woman, with a high focus on good and bad; in her role as a magistrate, and her family life. The chapter where we learn more about her helps us find out more about how Will’s accident has impacted her life. Even though she knows about her husband’s actions with other women, she focuses whole heartedly on how she can do what is best for her child, and ignores the personal impact everything has on her.
Nathan: where the majority of his character details show him as a medical professional, a lot of his actions, and conversations with Will make it clean that his role is just employment, but almost a friendship. We are treated to a chapter from his viewpoint quite far in, as we begin to notice the emotional changes between Will & Lou. Whilst he’s clearly happy for Will, having something positive to take his mind off some of the difficulties his disability causes, Nathan is shown to be quite a cautious character. He doesn’t want his employer, or friend, to get involved in something that will inevitably cause pain.
Favourite quotes;
“I want him to live if he wants to live. If he doesn’t, then by forcing him to carry on, you, me – no matter how much we love him – we become just another shitty bunch of people taking away his choices.”
“I couldn’t bare the thought that I would lose him, that he was so stubborn, and determined not to see what was good, what could be good, that he would not change his mind.”
How it ends:
After reading this years ago, and watching the film, I already knew this wasn’t going to be a happy ending. I made it all the way up to chapter 25 before the writing really got to me. This chapter is from Lou’s sister’s view point (Katrina), and it just highlights how emotional everything has been so far, and hints at how it’s going to go. While the chapter mainly focuses on Lou’s emotions after what is basically a breakup with Will, and his family, the ending pages focus on how media is pushing its way into involvement, and how her ex has even profited from her current dilemma. The ending section highlighting what Lou has to do, and the begging from Camilla is such an emotional way to bring us to the final chapters of the book.
Favourite part:
One of my favourite parts is quite close to the half way point. Lou is doing what she can to force nice events on Will. After a bit of a failed day out, he explains that people always try to do what’s best for him, without actually asking what he likes, or whats. It’s just a great section showing how people may think they are doing the right thing, but forget the imports of catering to the audience! Will does come across as the type of upper class person who has experienced horse racing. Just because he seems that way, doesn’t exactly mean that’s actually who he is. The section really highlights how tense the conversation between Lou and Will really is, and is definitely a bit of a turning point in the story!
Rating out of 5:
This “review” has definitely been a bit longer than usual, and has gone a lot more into disability, and mental health than I expected. I’ve tried my best to put some useful links in the post, to support the review a little more. I honestly haven’t tried to make this as personal as I think it’s come out, but it just shows how reading a good story can really hit you hard, and have an emotional impact. For me, this makes Me Before You a 5 star read. I hope I don’t lose the book again, as I’ll definitely want another read of it in the future!
Hopeless Pluto 