I'd reviewed the first book Me Before You in my post dated June 28, 2015. Me Before You was also made into a movie which I saw and liked a few months ago in June 2016. The novel After You was written in response to numerous requests the author received from her readers who wanted to know what had happened to the main character Louisa. It is not absolutely necessary that you read the first book or see the movie before reading After You, but I would advise that you do. In the sequel, Jojo Moyes is attentive to clueing readers in to past occurrences so they won't be totally in the dark plot-wise, but the readers will miss the wealth of character development from the initial novel. I think it is that development of the character of Luisa that had readers begging for more.
The next paragraph reveals some of Me Before You. It is difficult to review a sequel without giving away parts of the prequel. Reading on is safe for After You but will reveal parts of Me Before You.
Luisa in After You is trying to build a life for herself after her experience in supporting Will, the quadriplegic man she had grown to love. She'd stayed by his side at his request during his medically assisted suicide at a facility. He'd left her some money to start a new life over and to travel at his request to some of the places he's told her he'd loved. She does tour for a short time but during that time her struggles and self-doubts are very real. She flagellates herself with the lack of conviction that she had tried hard enough to change his mind. Another aspect of the situation I had not considered before reading this book was the aftermath of her decision to support Will in his end of life choice. While Luisa was attempting to recover from personal loss, those morally opposed to assisted suicide scorned her, or even shunned her, for her actions. It is hard enough to live with the death of one you love, but to endure public humiliation and rejection by some family members as well, will make the road to recovery all that more difficult.
All is not a downer however. Many characters are still supportive of her decision - her sister, Will's nurse, Will's parents to name a few. Farther along in her period of loneliness and grieving, Luisa does have several new people enter her life, two especially in a very positive and uplifting way. The character development of these two is very well done. I was very much engaged with Luisa's interactions and growing relationship with each of them. Luisa forges ahead with her life. I got a real kick out of a couple plot twists I had not seen coming. There are some riveting action scenes. The sequel is not quite as good as the original but very near. I would rate it just below four stars.
I finished this book last weekend when we were on our ski vacation. I definitely enjoyed it, although just like you, probably not quite as much as the first book. It was an enjoyable and fun read. I've read two Jojo Moyes books in a row, so now it's time to mix it up with some other authors!
ReplyDelete