Life After "After You" | After You by Jojo Moyes | A Book Review

After reading Me Before You and loving it, I can't wait to start on the next book-After You. I am curious what happened to Clark after the death of Will. There are a lot of possibilities...

Let's find out.

The story picks up eighteen months after the death of Will. 

London. Louisa bought an apartment using the money Will left her. The apartment has a roof space where the previous occupant decided to put a small terrace garden to liven it up. Louisa now works on a bar in the airport. 

Louisa Clark as a promise to Will traveled around Europe after his death. She went to Paris and sat on a cafe and did all the other instructions Will detailed on his letter. Louisa stayed in Paris for a while and worked in a bar. After a few months, Paris seemed to lost its luster and the appeal to Louisa. She decided she needs to go back to London.  

She has not gotten to terms with the death of Will. She felt guilty for not having done enough to make him stay. She loved him and even that was not good enough. She drinks every night to dull the pain and the grief she's feeling. One night, she decided to go up to the terrace which was accessible by the fire escape. This has been a nightly routine, she would drink and then go up to the roof and bask in the comfort of the dark and knowledge that no one knows who she is. She would walk from the end of the ledge and up to the other end. She would feel the air and hear all the noises but she would still feel alone. On this night, while she was in one with the noises, with her arms spread out, feeling like a drunken tightrope walker, she heard a girl tell her that she's not supposed to be standing there. In her shock, she slipped and fell. 

At first, I thought the pacing for this story was slow compared to the first one. When I came to the later pages, I realized that it was actually just preparing me for the series of sad things that are about to happen. Falling from the building, meeting a girl who is supposed to be Will's daughter, realizing she might have been the reason Will might want to live but no one knows she exists, not even Will; knowing Will's parents were still holding his death over their heads, forced to join a moving on meeting to deal with her grief; meeting a handsome and gentle ambulance guy but apparently he's with different women every night... Uh, I am dizzy with all these new developments in the story, new characters which are really annoying-- like Richard, her very stiff boss and Lily's mother, Tanya, who just doesn't care about her daughter. 

I've cried more reading this than Me Before You. It's like every line is a jab to my heart. I feel for Louisa. She is true to her character who wants to save everyone else except herself. Yes, I wished for her to meet someone so she can at least  feel good again and move on. I like the way how she met Sam. I think it was the most bizarre way to meet someone but it turned out well for Louisa. I like that even if she didn't like attending the moving on sessions, she still kept coming. I think Lily is the most important character (aside from Louisa, of course) in this story. She has brought everyone the closure they needed to move forward after Will's death. She gave the Traynor's reason to believe that Will has not totally left them, he has left a part of him in Lily. Lily also gave Louisa reason for living. She has now someone to look out for and Lily, a teen with self-destructing attitude, needs Louisa to be able to navigate through her life. Lily has given Louisa a renewed strength and purpose for living - to be alive again.

I give the book 4.5/5 statues of Lady Liberty for all the unexpected bends the story has turned and for a really fitting ending. I was able to sleep happy and content that Louisa has finally found something she really wanted to do and the best thing about it is it's in New York. Who doesn't want to be in New York? I think it's great and amazing and she gets to work again with Nathan. I liked it so much because of the innumerable quotes. Each one is so potent and precise. I also appreciate that all the other characters of the story have found their place in the universe. Louisa's Mom and Dad have reconciled and his Dad has finally understood her Mom's need to improve and reeducate herself. For Camilla Traynor's new source of strength and for Lily to find love from her new family. For her boss Richard's change of character. Sam's promise to love Louisa even when they are continents apart and the uncertainty of what the future holds for both of them. For Treena to finally finish her studies and find a job and to move out of their parents house to live on her own. And lastly, for Louisa to discern that she really wanted the job in New York and that she has gotten past the grief and guilt of the death of Will. She is now ready to start living her life. 

Hugot Lines

Hugot is a Filipino slang referring to drawing deep emotions. They're quotable statements that are so sentimental (definition taken from Tagaloglang.com).

Here are a few I really like from After you. 

...although we're called the Moving on Circle, none of us moves on without a 

backward look. We move on always carrying with us those we have lost. What we aim to do in our little group is ensure that carrying them is not a burden that feels impossible to bear, a weight keeping us stuck in the same place. We want their presence to feel like a gift.

I think people get bored of your grief. It's like you're allowed some unspoken allotted time - six months, maybe - and then they get faintly irritated that you're not "better". It's like you're being self-indulgent hanging on to your unhappiness.

You learn to live with it, with them. Because they do stay with you, even if they're not living breathing people any more. It's not the same crushing grief you felt at first, the kind that swamps you and makes you want to cry in the wrong places, and get irrationally angry with all the idiots who are still alive when the person you love is dead. It's just something you learn to accommodate. 

Like adapting around a hole. It's like you become...a doughnut instead of a bun.

The parents are wrapped up in their own stuff, or have disappeared completely, so they exist in a vacuum, and they make bad choices.

...to be freed from our grief. To be released from this underworld of the dead, half our hearts lost underground, or trapped in little porcelain urns.

Depression loves a vacuum. Far better to be doing, or at least planning, Sometimes the illusion of happiness could inadvertently create it.

Curious about Me Before You? Click here.


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Me After "Me Before You" | Me Before You by Jojo Moyes | A Book Review

I got interested in this book because of the film. I wanted to know what the book is about. And as previous experiences would attest, the book is almost always better than the movie, though there are very very few exceptions. I wanted to read the book before I would see the film. And so the search begins...

I stumbled on an ebook copy and started reading.

The book is about Louisa Clark and Will Traynor. Louisa works for a cafe, unfortunately, it closed because the owner has to go back to Australia because his Dad is not well. Louisa has to look for a new job. She got a accepted as a carer for a quadriplegic, Will Traynor. This was after trying to work in a factory. At first, Will and Lou did not get along. Will was always rude and moody. After a few weeks, Lou could not take anymore Will's attitude so she confronted him and Will was surprised because it was only Lou who got the courage to tell him off. From there, their relationship improved and Lou was able to make Will talk and do some things. Some as monumental as shaving his face and cutting his hair. One time, Lou overheard Mrs. Camilla Traynor and his daughter, Georgina, talking about Will's wish to die and going to Dignitas. Lou realized that she is the only hope for Will to change his mind. Lou then embarks on a series of plans to get Will to go out and travel so he would find the zest and reason to live again. 

When I started reading the book, it did not right away reveal what type of love story it was. When I came to the part when Louisa started working for the Traynors, I expected as most story goes, that they will fall in love with each other and Lou will leave his douche boyfriend who only cares about marathons. And true enough, they did. But it was not just about that. There were a lot of twists and I had to calm myself most of the time. I did not expect that Will would still want to die in spite of the fact that he loves Louisa and wants her around. I do understand Will's decision but I feel sorry for Louisa and the rest of the Traynors. At first, I thought Will is too selfish but then if I were in his shoes, unable to care for myself and not anymore able to do the things I love, I think I would wish I died in that accident too. I like that the book was so realistic. It also showed how a life-changing event could alter the dynamics of a family, even  for one that is so wealthy. Catastrophe falls on anyone, whether you own castles or not. I also like that Louisa tried everything she can to change Will's mind and I thought she was successful. I was cheering for her the whole time. 

The book is very well written and I like that it surprised me a lot. It was so engaging and gripping. It had held me tight and I never wanted to stop reading until the end but my eyes betrayed me. I had  to sleep or else I will end up with a headache for staying up all night. Most of the time, it showed me the opposite of what I expected to happen next. I did not like that Will really died. I thought when Louisa was called to come to Switzerland, there might still be a slim chance that Will might change his mind at the last minute, but it never happened. Yes, you will probably not like how this ends. I thought love conquered all. This is probably the only thing that I thought the book lacked. But on second thought, the acceptance of Will's decision and supporting him could as well be taken as love, as letting go of someone is always an act of love. Letting go of Will was a herculean feat for everyone. Will saw it as the only way he can find peace and solace for himself. Some may think that this book encourages or believes in taking one's life but I don't look at it that way. I think it just explored the possibility that there might be an option for those whose lives cannot anymore in anyway be put back to normal, just like a quadriplegic's. I still do not believe in taking one's own life just because life is too hard or you got your heart broken or for some other million reasons. There is hope. There is always hope, it may sometimes just be a flicker or a spark but life should go on. Yes, life is hard, it is a fact. Nobody has it easy. Each person's circumstance is just different. Each has its own worries. For me, I am thankful that I am terrified just even thinking of it in my lowest of lows. Because the moment I will have the might to even think about  it, that would be the end - the end of my reason. That means I have lost my sanity and have abandoned hope and prayer. It would be when even the love for books and the love for travel has forsaken me. These two hobbies keep me sane when all else in the world just makes me want to sleep and not wake up. The book at least ended where Louisa was able to say goodbye to Will and Will died knowing that he was loved. Closure at least.

I give the book 4/5 yellow and black striped leggings for the surprising journey. I hate stories that are so obvious and typical. This story was totally different and it touched me in various ways. I can relate to a lot of the characters in the story. I can relate to how it is being jobless and the only available ones are the things you don't want to do. I can also see myself in Will being frustrated at a situation you can't change, being paralyzed and left to the mercy of other people. I have cried while reading this book as it tackled a multitude of human reactions to a tragedy. It spoke of the diverse coping mechanisms of people when faced with a very difficult and trying situation. And these same reactions are what would most likely happen in real life. I also love that Louisa realized what she has been missing in her secluded, mundane and very provincial life. And that she needs to explore the world to discover its wonders and what it has in store for her. This work has made me a fan of Jojo Moyes. I am looking forward to her other works.

Now, I am ready to watch the movie. I am curious if they will follow it to the letter or make a different ending.

Next book is After You. Click here to know more.