Read Anything by Jojo Moyes

I came upon “Still Me” by Jojo Moyes in a neighbor’s ‘little library’. (‘Take a book, leave a book’ little libraries have become a global phenomenon, and we are lucky enough to have one in our neighborhood. But that is the subject for another post.) I have found several books by Jojo Moyes in that little library, so I am obviously not the only Moyes fan in the neighborhood. Thanks to my Moyes reading neighbor, I stumbled upon this sequel to “After You,” which was the sequel to “Me Before You.” I had not heard Moyes had written a third book in her Louisa Clark saga, so it was quite a pleasant surprise.

For those who are not familiar with “Me Before You” (which begs the question – Where have you been? It was only made into a movie with massive amounts of publicity, and that was following the immense popularity of the book), in a nutshell: Handsome, athletic, and well off Will Traynor is left a quadriplegic following a motorcycle accident. Angry and depressed, Will is determined to end his life via assisted suicide. Louisa Clark, a quirky, 26 year old, working class local is hired as his companion by Will’s mother. Mrs. Traynor is hopeful that a companion might change Will’s attitude and his desire to end his life. While Louisa and Will eventually bond and Will comes out of his funk he is resolute in his decision. After reading the book I began researching critiques and noted that there were a number of comments online by people who took exception to Will’s opting for assisted suicide, as if Moyes was implying that life as a quadriplegic is not worth living. I don’t believe that was Moyes’ intent. Moyes’ ending is controversial, and I think that’s the point. It’s what makes this a great book group book. It begs discussion. Should assisted suicide be an option for someone in Will’s condition? When is life not worth living? What makes a meaningful life? What would you do in Will’s situation? How would you feel if a loved one made this choice? I once had a writing teacher who said you write to get a reaction. Well, Moyes elicited all kinds of reactions to “Me Before You.” Some of us couldn’t read between the tears at the book’s conclusion, others may have wanted to throw the book across the room.

This brings me to “After You,” the story of how Louisa copes in the aftermath of Will’s death. The answer is basically not well (actually that’s an understatement). This is probably my least favorite Jojo Moyes book. Will leaves Louisa a generous gift of money and a written admonition to make something of herself. Instead, she falls apart. An infusion of cash isn’t necessarily going to make everything alright when you are in the throes of grief, but Louisa’s inability to cope is so over the top. I understand that a novel has to have some kind of conflict and if Louisa was coping brilliantly (i.e., no conflict) there wouldn’t be much of a story. But the Louisa we meet in “After You” is such a disappointment; it was hard for me to feel much sympathy for her. I couldn’t help thinking she didn’t deserve Will’s generosity. I wanted to throw the book across the room, or at least give Louisa a good whack in the head and tell her to pull herself together and make Will proud. You have to give Moyes credit – she did get a reaction out of me.

Then there is “Still Me.” Louisa is now in New York City with a new job as a personal assistant to the second (and much younger) wife of an immensely wealthy, middle aged businessman. Louisa has also left her new boyfriend, Sam, back in England. She must navigate a long distance relationship and the trials of working for an insecure and unhappy (albeit insanely rich) woman, as well as adjusting to life in a new country. This is the likeable Louisa from the first book. There are hiccups, bumps, and a major catastrophe or two along the way, but she navigates the problems to a satisfying conclusion. I found myself routing for her, rather than asking ‘Why on earth would you do that?’ Or ‘What was the author thinking?’ My reaction: Satisfaction. This is the Jojo Moyes that I know and love.

In between the Louisa Clark stories, I’ve read a number of other Moyes books. “One Plus One” is probably my favorite, but “The Last Letter from Your Lover,” “The Horse Dancer,” “The Ship of Brides,” and “Silver Bay” are all great reads. She has a couple more books that I haven’t gotten to yet, but they are on my ‘to read’ list.