Book Review: Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes

Don't be put off by the cover! Not that there's anything wrong with reading a story with a pink cover of course. No shame :-P Anyway, the book at hand – Me Before You by Jojo Moyes – was a good read. A love story with a difference. Not your typical girl meets boy and then the book ends. (Not that I've read any of those!) Believable characters here too. The main two characters are Louisa and Will. The first – Louisa – is a young, pretty ordinary personality who has no ambition nor desire to venture outside of her daily routine until the local cafe she works at closes down, permanently. The other – Will – is a young-ish, high-flying businessman condemned to quadriplegia following an unfortunate traffic accident and wanting to end his life. (A bit of a spoiler there but it's disclosed quite early in the book so surely you won't mind!) This book is about these two polar opposite personalities crossing paths and the influence and impact each has on the other.

Explaining extradition to a child

We sit beside the pillar on the top stair of the building's entrance; my nephew, niece and me. Directly ahead of us, a few steps down, are three individuals in orange jumpsuits standing with their backs to us. "Why do they have bags on their heads?" my nephew quizzes.

"They're pretending to be prisoners" is my response, baiting him to continue. "Did they do something wrong?" he complies. We discuss how these are a different kind of prisoner – the exception to the rule – and who it is they represent: the Tooting two.

"These are the goodies" I tell him. He sits a moment taking it in – the thinker that he is – and then – making that sudden link kids always do – he asks of those who took them: "Like Loki? Are they like Loki?" I tilt my head and smile. Just the day before he had watched Avengers Assemble for the very first time.