Finished Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I received a copy from the publisher on Edelweiss.
Lou (short for Louisa) has just gotten fired from her job—which, technically, isn’t her fault because the cafe’s closing. But since she lives with her parents and is one of two breadwinners in the family (her dad works but is terrified of being fired himself; her mom stays home to take care of her elderly father, Louisa’s grandfather, and her sister takes care of her young son), she needs to find another job. Preferably tomorrow.
Enter Will. Will’s a quadriplegic and he has an aide for the medical stuff but his mom wants to hire a social aide, someone to keep him company. It pays ridiculously well and it’s only for six months, so Lou can keep looking for another job.
Despite a rocky beginning, Lou and Will end up really hitting it off…and then she learns that the reason the job’s so short-term is because Will wants to kill himself. He’s agreed to give his parents a brief extension, but is pretty adamant that his mind won’t change.
Except unfortunately, Lou’s in love with him now. Is that enough? And if she really loves him, is it her responsibility to try and change his mind or to honor his wishes?
I can’t even describe how much I loved this book. It’s clever and funny and will kick you right in the feelings. (I stole this from someone on Twitter. If it is you, please leave a comment, because I want to give you credit but my memory is feeble.)
I think it’s also one of those books that will cause you to examine where you stand on euthanasia. I’m strongly in support of it, but at the same time, it’s impossible to ignore the pain that it can cause those left behind. And there’s also a difference between choosing to die because you have a terminal illness and you’d rather not die in pain or without dignity and wanting to die because your life is different than it used to be. (Or is there? Shouldn’t we be allowed to choose for ourselves when to end our lives?)
Highly recommended.
KellyVision 