Author: Jojo Moyes
Edition: Softcover, Penguin Books, 2013
You can purchase Me Before You online at Hugo Bookstores.
Me Before You is a beautiful, humorous, emotional and direct portrayal of the daily physical and physiological struggles of Will, a quadriplegic. For some reason, the main character and caregiver, Lou, reminds me of Natalie in the movie Love Actually. She is easy to like and humorous as she takes the reader on her journey of self-discovery.
This modern novel is ideal for book groups to discuss how quadriplegics are perceived by themselves, by individuals who are close to them and by people who haven’t interacted directly with a quadriplegic. More broadly, the novel offers opportunity to discuss how we each manage our “otherness” in any capacity, the ways in which barriers are erected between humans and how we can break down the barriers. In addition, the book serves as a launching point for a discussion of end-of-life issues.
The novel is equally compelling for a personal read, offering many moments to laugh out loud and cry silently as the reader is immersed in the daily emotions of the two primary characters. As a reader I never felt as if my emotions were being toyed with; every twist and turn felt honest and not exploitative as the author took me on a journey of love and discovery.
Internet Resources
Bioethicist Margaret Battin shares her personal story on NPR’s Fresh Air. Her husband broke his neck in a bicycle accident in 2008 and now the end-of-life issues that Battin has written about extensively, hit home. This interview offers a personal perspective on a quadriplegic facing ending his own life.
Alex Blaszczuk is a law student and amateur photographer. In the fall of 2011, a car accident en route to a camping trip left Alex paralyzed from the chest down, unable to use her hands. Alex shares her story from within a Google Glass promotion on YouTube. What I found intriguing about watching this short video is the extent to which technology affords Alex the ability to take on basic tasks such as navigating and photography that she lost when she had her accident. It is a promotional piece and not an in-depth story, yet you can see parallels with Will interacting with the technology that Lou helps him discover.
Major Characters
Will Traynor: young, wealthy banker, now living with his parents, who has been confined to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic since an accident in 2009.
Louisa (Lou) Clark: primary character and Will’s new caretaker
Nathan: Will’s daily nurse
Katrina (Treena) Clark: Lou’s younger sister, single mother to Thomas
Patrick: Lou’s boyfriend
Bernard/Dad: Lou’s father
Josie/Mom: Lou’s mother
Camilla Traynor: Will’s mother
Steven Traynor: Will’s father
Georgina Traynor: Will’s sister
Alicia: Will’s ex-girlfriend
Rupert: Alicia’s fiance
Discussion Topics
Point of View
The novel is almost entirely told from Lou’s point of view. However, the author, Jojo Moyes, intersperses four chapters from other perspectives. The first of these is from Camilla’s perspective (page 105) when she describes how she came to offer support to her son in ending his life. Nathan has a brief chapter following Alicia and Rupert’s wedding (page 266). Steven has a short chapter with his mistress, sharing his hopes for Will’s planned adventure trip (page 289). Finally, Treena has a chapter right near the end of the novel, when Lou is back at home and Will is in Switzerland (page 335).
How do each of these round out the story for you? Did you feel more or less sympathetic with each of the characters after reading a chapter from his or her perspective? Did these chapters alter or expand your understanding of Lou? How do you compare these snippets of other voices with other books you may have read which have multiple points of view such as Sarah’s Key or Orphan Train or Let The Great World Spin or any of a myriad of others?
Noticeably absent is any chapter told by Will. In A Conversation with Jojo Moyes, at the end of the book, Moyes comments, “The only person whose mind I couldn’t enter was Will’s, because I wanted his intentions to be one of the central tensions of the book.” How do you believe the novel would have been altered had the story been told from Will’s point of view?
Quadriplegia
Jojo Moyes relates the specifics of Will and Lou and Nathan as they manage moving Will, tending to him, taking him on outings. In Lou’s first outing to the racetrack, starting on page 140, the author explores many physical challenges encountered in managing a wheelchair both due to Lou’s lack of experience and the track’s lack of accessibility.
Where have you encountered individuals with needs that are poorly accommodated in our public spaces? Do you often see individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices in spaces you frequent? What strides have been made in improving access for all? Where do you notice the most significant physical barriers?
End of Life
In the Fresh Air interview, Margaret Battin speaks about the process of end-of-life and the issues swirling around it, the mind versus the body, the elements of eating, the individual reflection that each person faces in thinking about end-of-life issues and her discussions and feelings she shares with her husband.
In the novel we hear directly from Camilla as to how she came to agree to support Will in his decision to end his life. Did hearing Camilla from within her own mind, as it were, enhance or limit your view of her choice? Were you able to sympathize with her situation or would you have made a difference choice? Who does Will involve in his decision and at what point?
How do you personally feel about Will’s choice? How would you respond if Will was a member of your family? How would you feel if you were in Will’s situation?
Do you know anyone who has faced such a choice? How were you able to support that individual or not?
Lou’s Journey
At the outset of the novel, Lou says, “The thing about being catapulted into a whole new life— or at least, shoved up so hard against someone else’s life that you might as well have your face pressed against their window— is that it forces you to rethink your idea of who you are” page 58.
How does Lou rethink her idea of who she is?
Lou makes significant personal discoveries throughout the story. In what ways did she make the discoveries herself and in what ways were Will and Treena instrumental in her self-reflection?
Lou is battling her own deep secret. Why do you think Moyes chose to include that facet of the story? How is Lou’s hidden anguish juxtaposed against Will’s very visible anguish?
Interpersonal Barriers
The moment Lou and Will meet, page 31, Will throws up his defense and Lou is, not surprisingly, repelled. What role does each of Lou, Will and others play in breaking down the barriers between Will and Lou?
Where does Will encounter individuals who are uncomfortable around him? Who is comfortable around Will? How does each group show their discomfort or ease?
Where have you encountered individuals who made you or others uncomfortable with their differences? What strategies have you found helpful for becoming more at ease with someone who had a physical difference whether a medical concern or a mental condition?
When have you or a close friend been the one with the difference? How did you feel? What did you notice strangers doing to embrace or avoid interaction? What reactions were most helpful? Which ones were hurtful?
How can we each help break down barriers of difference whether as a bystander, a friend or an individual with a distinction?
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