It's not a book I would normally have read because it's a love story about a 35 year old good looking, fantastically successful guy named Will who flips his motorcycle and becomes a quadriplegic who wants to end his life - and his subsequent 28 year old poor, unsure of herself caregiver named Lou. They, of course, fall in love.
I don't care for tearjerker novels. Rather than openly weeping like a normal person, I feel sort of bored and manipulated.
But everybody else I know who's read it loved it. The ending was sad but realistic and controversial.
Yesterday we discussed Me Before You in my book club. As usual the discussion was rich and I came away with a much better feeling about the book.
For me, the big issue is Will's right to end his life. All sides of this issue were represented, both in the book and in our ladies book club. Some folks thought Will was being selfish to want to leave those who loved him. Some folks felt his mom and others were being selfish for wanting him to stay. But the discussion yesterday was civil and courteous , the way we'd like to all controversial issues discussed.
We all know of quadriplegics who've made a go of it. Stephen Hawking and Christopher Reeves come to mind. But, do we have the right to decide for others when or if their lives are worth living?
And, to me, the larger issue is simply aging and who decides when life ceases to be meaningful for us soon to be oldies. It's a deeply personal question as well as a world wide moral issue.
Stay tuned: Me Before You is currently being made into a major motion picture.
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