If you are looking for a book that will guarantee to make you ugly cry, then pick this book up.
What is it about
It’s about an endearing young woman called Lou Clark who becomes a carer for a quadriplegic young man called Will Traynor. Although his mother arranged for him to have a carer, Will does his best to be difficult for Lou. But Lou counters this by bringing her own brand of bubbliness. Will’s mother has her own maternal agenda, hoping that Lou’s zest for life would rub on Will.
Both Lou and Will are world apart, in terms of personalities and their lives. Before his accident, Will was an adrenaline seeker and was well travelled. Lou in comparison was not. After his accident, Will stopped viewing the world positively the way Lou does. But the two of them have something to offer to each other. When he steps into her world, he indulges her ideas to do exciting activities. He in turn, show her his world, like watching a foreign language film or attending a classical concert.
What I love about this book
Everything. From start to finish, I loved everything. Described as a heartbreaking yet uplifting read that demands a box-full of tissues by the reviewers, it is exactly that. You will need a box of tissues beside you. Jojo is an amazing storyteller and a gifted writer. It’s a special skill to make readers fall hard for the characters and weep for them.
I fell for Lou straight away, while I grew to love Will as the pages of the book flew by. Though it is an uplifting story, I was bawling my eyes out at the end. The book stayed with me long after I had finished reading it. I thought about Will and the decision he had to make. While I was against his decision, like his family were, I realised acceptance of that decision, while hard, was something that made me see the other side empathetically.
It is a story of love, friendship, choice, courage, determination, and most of all, living life to the full.