"Me Before You"

Nathania Carissa Vida Octaviani (392020032)

January 14^th, 2021

Reading Diary - Entry 1 (book 1) 

Me before You

Introduction

“Me before You” is a romance fiction novel by Jojo Moyes. The book was first published by Michael Joseph on 5 January 2012 in the United Kingdom. In Indonesia, the book was published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama on 25 July 2016. In fact, this book has 480 pages. However, because I don't have the original book, I only read it through the e-book. I read it in English e-Reader.net and the e-book is only available for 46 pages. So, I have completed the 46 pages. I choose to read this e-book, because I was interested in reading a romantic novel and because I had seen the movie too.

 The Setting

Set in the United Kingdom, Lou Clark & her family live in tiny English hometown (Smalltown, U.K.). The one point of interest is Stortford Castle (owned by Will’s family), a tourist destination that draws people from all over the world. In chapter 11, Lou & Will visited Mauritius, a small island off the coast of Africa. They Mauritius is about as different from small-town England as you can get.

In the novel closing moments, Lou visits Paris. This visit was arranged by Will before his death and is a reference to a conversation earlier in the novel when he said that it was his favorite place in the world. She sat in front of the dark green cafe, looking down the Rue des Francs Bourgeois. It was a beautiful, sunny autumn day in Paris. In a fitting way, the novel closes with Lou heading "off down the street toward the parfumerie and the whole of Paris and beyond" (chapter 12), finally taking her future into her own hands and embracing all of its possibilities.

 The Characters

Will & Lou

Source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/film-review-me-before-you-ss7m7tfll

In my opinion, Louisa, Will, Treena and Nathan are memorable person in this story.

Louisa Clark is a woman who is talented, creative and funny but she underestimates herself and she has few ambitions. Louisa has 1 little sister, her name is Treena Clark who is a single mother to son Thomas, who works at flower shop and Treena always support her sister, Louisa.

Will Traynor is a man who became quadriplegic after the road accident. He is intelligent, but his impairment has left him moody, angry, and bitter. Unable to accept never being the active and adventurous man he once was, he wants to end his life. Nathan is Will's nurse who always helped and took care of him. Nathan was also considered as Will's friend.

 Plot

Louisa Clark is a woman who loses her job at a local cafe when the cafe closes. She goes to the Job Centre and after several failed attempts, is offered a unique employment opportunity: help care for Will Traynor, a successful, wealthy, and once-active young man who developed quadriplegic in a pedestrian-motorcycle accident two years ago. Louisa was interviewed by Will's Mother and she immediately accepted Louisa to work for the next 6 months. She believe Louisa can brigthen his spirit. 

Louisa and Will's relationship starts out rocky due to his bitterness and resentment over being disabled. Things get worst after Will's ex-girlfriend, Alicia, and his best friend Rupert reveal that they are getting married. Because of Louisa's care, Will becomes more communicative and open-minded as they share experiences together. Louisa only had 6 months to change Will's mind so he didn't go to Dignitas, a Swiss-based assisted suicide organization.

Louisa persuade Will to go on a holiday with her, she takes Will to the island of Mauritius. The night before returning home, Louisa tells Will that she loves him. Will says their time together has been special, but he cannot bear to live in a wheelchair. He will be following through with his plans. Angry and hurt, Louisa doesn’t want speak to him for the rest of the trip. When they return home, Will's parents are pleasantly surprised by his good physical condition. Louisa, however, resigns as his caretaker, and they understand that Will intends to end his life.

On the night of Will's flight to Switzerland, Louisa visits him one last time. They agree that the past six months have been the best in their lives. He dies shortly after in the clinic, and and he left a message to Louisa to take money from her lawyer for her life and education. The novel ends with Louisa at a café in Paris, reading Will's last words to her in a letter, that tell her to 'live well'.

Conclusion

In my opinion, this novel is very interesting to read, very easy to understand and this novel is great for people who like to read books in the romantic genre. This novel also teaches us to be people who are always optimistic regardless of the circumstances and also teaches us that if we love someone, we must love them regardless of their circumstances and and we must to support them.