WHAT A BOOK CAN TEACH FT. VARANYA YADAV

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Many a times, I feel like I’m losing control over things - over my work, my social life, my state of mind. This is when I sit back and look at my life from a different perspective. To help gain this perspective, I read books. Some people may prefer to watch movies or listen to songs. It was around such a phase that I happened to read me before you. To be honest, I didn’t know anything about the book, about the author, I didn’t even buy it. This book affected me in ways I didn’t think were possible. As I read the story of Louisa Clark and the turn of events of life I got to know that I am one of the fortunate ones. I have a decent lifestyle and enough money and awesome friends. When Lou met Will, a quadriplegic, her life changed a lot, she discovered a whole new part of herself, something that she thought had been missing.Thought the first few months were very hard and Lou thought that she wasn’t going to succeed, with time she got more comfortable around will, and will with Lou. They started talking and will became more interactive and open minded than he had been for the past two years. This showed me it is not time that matters but how the time is spent. She found in Will in 6 months what she hadn’t found in Patrick, her ex-boyfriend, in 7 years. As their friendship and fondness for each other grew, Lou found out about Will’s wish to go to the Dignitas and how his mother had agreed to fulfill his wish only if he agreed to live 6 months. I felt sad, curious and hysterical while reading this. Lou concealed this but made a plan with her sister Treena to give Will a reason to live and to suppress his wish of dying. So, Lou convinces Will to go to Maurititis with her. They have the fun of their life.That’s when Will decides to tell her about Dignitas when Lou says that she already knows. Even after all the begging Will decides that his decision his final. And his reason? He said it was simple – he did not want to live a life being pitied by people everywhere, he wanted to have it all or none. Lou was enraged by Will’s decision and his insensitivity towards his family members. But what they all failed to see was as much as they tried to brighten up his world, bring him happiness, he would always feel like a burden. Will love Louisa with all his heart, she made him feel again. She treated him like any other person and did not highlight his disability. As the story went (and I cried a lot in this part) Lou resigned from her job as Will’s caretaker. All this taught me that sometimes it’s best to let go. It’s hard and takes a lot of time, but you have to move on. I believe that you never actually stop loving someone. It leaves a mark.Many people believe that moving on implies disrespecting your loved one, but it’s something else altogether. It is about keeping their memories safe with you and succeeding in your life just like they would’ve wanted. Will saw a great deal of energy and potential in Lou that she was denying. So, he leaves with her a considerable amount of inheritance and a note telling her to try new things, discover new places, find a new Louisa. To “live well”. This novel taught me a lot me about loving and moving on.

-Varanya