Have you ever had a book that had an incredible impact on your life and the way you think and you just completely did not expect it? I've had a ton of these sleepers over the years; most recently, "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes. This is a book that from the outside looks like typical chick lit, complete with the bright colors, swirly font and vague description on the cover. I had never read anything by this author and was looking for something to read that was light and would give me a break from my thoughts. Go figure.
Louisa Clark is 26 years old and has the most boring life imaginable - and is completely fine with it. She lives with her parents and has had the same job and same boyfriend for several years and nothing about her life challenges her, nor does she want a challenge. She's forced to go outside of her comfort zone when she loses her job, and after looking for quite a while, finds a job as a caretaker for a young man who has become a quadriplegic in a freak accident. The man (Will) is jaded, bitter and tries to make everyone else's life as miserable as his own. After working with him and breaking through his shell a bit, the two become friends. And the story goes on from there.
So it seems typical, right? Girl leads ordinary life, girl's world gets turned upside down, girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love. But that's not the crux of the story. Will had been, for most of his life, a man who lived every single day to the fullest. He worked hard, he played hard, he fought hard, and he loved hard. All of a sudden he found himself unable to bathe or care for himself, much less jump out of a plane or ride a motorcycle. He hated his life and hated who he had become - to the point where suicide was his only answer. Or I should say attempted suicide, because it's hard to kill yourself when you can't move your arms or legs. So he makes a deal with his family - he'll play nice for 6 months if at the end of the time period they agree to take him to Dignitas - the assisted suicide facility in Switzerland.
Louisa discovers this by accident after she and Will have become friends and began to lead a comfortable companionship. After the shock wears off, she is determined to make Will's life worth living. She does everything possible, and they grow to have a deep love for each other. But it still isn't enough for him.
So I'm going to end the summary there because the mental and emotional struggles that come with all of this need to be read firsthand. My first thought after finishing this book was just wow. At what point does life become not worth living anymore? So often we hear that suicide is an easy way out and selfish on the part of the person who commits it, but isn't it just as selfish of the loved ones who are trying to keep someone alive who just does not want to live anymore? Before reading this book I probably would have said no...but I don't know. I spent some time after finishing the novel researching Dignitas and some of the actual stories of people who went there, and there's just no way I can say what they've done is right or wrong. It's an impossible situation to imagine when I think of myself and my own loved ones, and I hope to never experience anything like this myself, but it really did change my outlook on a lot of things. Different people value different things in life, and the truth of the matter is that if you take away those things that add value to your life, it has to be difficult to justify going through all the pain of living with none of the joy.
All that to say, I definitely recommend this book! I give it 4 out of 5 stars, just because there is some fluff in there that doesn't match some of the deeper parts of the book, but that balance is sometimes needed anyway.
Let me know your thoughts if you've read it or want to read it!
~SP
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