This week I both read the book and saw the film for Me Before You. While I was prepared for the story to be a bit of tearjerker, I was surprised how absorbed I got with the characters while I was in my little reading bubble. I hadn’t read a book for a while, and wanted to get through the story before the film came out. He is what I felt about both!
Book Version:
Me Before You tells the story of an unconventionally dressed 26-year-old girl named Lou Clark, who is down on her luck after the café she has worked at for six years closes. Her income is important to her family, so she goes to the job center, where she is sent out on a collection of odd, and often terrible, jobs around town, until she finally applies for a caregiver position assisting a paralyzed man. She gets the job, and is set up on a six month contract assisting a young man named Will Traynor, but she soon figures out that she may be there for more than just keeping him company. Lou is met with anger and sarcasm from Will, to the point that she wants to quit many times, but she slowly is able to peel back the harsh facade and get to know the man she is caring for.
I found myself very captivated with the story, and couldn’t wait to continuing reading, as I tried to sneak in a chapter or two whenever I could through the day. I got through the book quite quickly, and was enthralled with seeing how Lou got through her initial fear of caring for Will and how they slowly forged a relationship where they both needed each other in order to move forward in their lives.
There are quite a few additional characters in the story, with Lou’s family including her longtime boyfriend, mother, father, granddad, sister, and her sister’s son. Will’s mother, father, and sister, as well as Will’s trusty caretaker, Nathan, round out the characters.
The book is primarily in Lou’s point of view, but does something interesting throughout, where every so often there is a brief segment in another character’s perspective. I enjoyed having these moments and found that it cleverly brought new aspects and angles to the story.
Me Before You is quite comical at times, but also makes you really think about the big and small difficulties that people with quadriplegia have to face, both physically and mentally. The story is sweet and romantic at its core, but also has a few unexpected twists that make it a memorable read.
Movie Version:
The film version of Me Before You stars Emilia Clarke as cheerful caretaker Lou and Sam Clafin as the once adventurous Will, who was paralyzed in a terrible accident. Both actors have wonderful chemistry together, which really brings the characters to life.
Something I particularly enjoyed about the film version was seeing Lou’s bright and adventurous outfits come to life. Just looking at her made me want to wear more exciting outfits. It might even make you want to track down a pair of bumblebee tights!
While the film is quite true to the book, the film does leave out a few more intense plot lines (spoilers ahead!), including Will’s father’s affair and Lou’s assault when she was younger. Both could have potentially added more depth or complexities to the story and characters, but also would have removed a lot of the lightheartedness of the plot. I did like that the film didn’t turn Lou’s boyfriend Patrick (played by Matthew Lewis, who portrayed Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films,so I was naturally very excited to see him in a new role) into such a villain towards the end. The trims from the book make sense in the film, but does make the book more rich and rewarding to read.
While the movie is a bit cheesier and cuter than the book, overall it is a solid adaptation, with the vital aspects of the story still there. There wasn’t anything that felt out of place, but the film did go quite quickly, where we didn’t see as much struggle and Lou and Will’s relationship developed much faster. I probably would have enjoyed the film more if I hadn’t just read the book, because I wouldn’t have been mentally filling in the additional details the book covers. I did think the casting was very good and while the story may have its heartbreaking moments, it also leaves you with a warm heart.
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