Me Before You

It is 2009, and 26-year-old Louisa Clark returns to her family home. She greets her family and informs them that the café she works at is closing and that she no longer has a job. In financial distress, Louisa’s family relies on her income to survive. The next day, Louisa seeks comfort from her long-term boyfriend, Patrick, who encourages her to take this opportunity to pursue a new career. Over the next few weeks, she seeks job opportunities to no avail. Desperate for work, she reluctantly accepts a care assistant position for a quadriplegic man—Will Traynor.

Lousia arrives at the Traynors’ house for an interview. Will’s mother, Camilla, conducts the interview and informs Louisa that the position is a temporary position for six months. Despite Louisa’s lack of professional experience, Camilla hires her and warns her that “Will is not the easiest person to be around at the moment” (24). Louisa will begin working with Will the next day.

The next day, Camilla shows Louisa around the Traynor home and warns her never to leave Will alone for more than 15 minutes out of fear that he might harm himself. When Will and Louisa finally meet, Will attempts to scare her away by contorting his body. Will’s nurse, Nathan, educates Louisa on Will’s medications and potential needs before leaving. After Will rebuffs Louisa’s attempts to engage in conversation, they spend most of the day in silence. Later that night, she complains to her younger sister Katrina (or Treena) and contemplates quitting. Treena, a young single mother, confides in Louisa about her plan to return to university, which will leave their family without the added support of her income. She begs Louisa to continue working, and Louisa agrees.

Two weeks pass, and Louisa and Will continue to keep their distance as she adjusts to her new job. She observes Will’s unhappiness with life despite his mother’s best efforts. Although Will continues to mistreat her, Louisa both dislikes him and feels empathy for him. One day, Will’s old friends Rupert and Alicia stop by. Louisa recognizes Alicia from one of Will’s photographs and identifies her as Will’s ex-girlfriend. She overhears Alicia and Rupert informing Will of their upcoming marriage. As Alicia leaves, she confesses to Louisa that she attempted to support Will in the aftermath of his accident, but “he just pushed [her] away” (50). Uncertain of what to do, Louisa takes her time returning to Will’s room before hearing a crash. Afraid that Will hurt himself, she rushes to his room and discovers he has destroyed photographs of Alicia. The next day, Louisa attempts to repair some of the destroyed picture frames. Will accuses her of trying to uplift his spirits and ignoring his wishes. Unable to suppress her feelings, she angrily proclaims that she does not care about Will and only took the job for money. Louisa’s anger calms Will, and he ends the argument.

Louisa grows increasingly perturbed by Camilla’s critical, uptight nature. Despite this tension, she grows more comfortable around Will and hears from Nathan, his nurse, that Will’s spirits have lifted. She and Will begin watching films together. Despite Louisa’s initial resistance, Will introduces her to foreign films, which she loves. Will questions her about her life outside of work and her dreams, but she struggles to answer.

Louisa drives Will to his six-month check-up at the hospital. As she and Nathan wait for Will to finish, Nathan informs her that he will never walk again. Later, Louisa accidentally enters an exam room and spots Will with his shirt lifted. She notices red scars on his wrists from a previous suicide attempt.