Lou Clark never set out to become a carer. In fact, most of what's happened to her over the last few years has been unplanned. Her sister is the one with the big plans for university and beyond, Lou just...drifts. So when her priced job at the lively Buttered Bun tea shop comes to a sudden halt Lou's options are scarce. Threatened with losing her unemployment benefit, Lou applies for the 6 month care position in a local wealthy private home.
Embittered by his constant discomfort, pain and poor quality of life, Will Traynor is initially irritated by Lou's naivety and her eager attempts to please. Within a matter of weeks however, they begin to warm to one another and develop an engaging and authentic dialogue.
'It's not the bloody carrots that upset me. It's having them sneaked into my food by a madwoman who addresses the cutlery as Mr and Mrs Fork.'
'It was a joke. Look, let me take the carrots and-'
He turned away from me. 'I don't want anything else. Just do me a cup of tea.' He called out to me as I left the room, 'And don't try and sneak a bloody courgette into it.'
Nathan walked in as I was finishing the dishes. 'He's in a good mood,' he said, as I handed him a mug.
'Is he?' I was eating my sandwiches in the kitchen. It was bitterly cold outside, and somehow the house hadn't felt quite as unfriendly lately.
'He says you're trying to poison him. But he said it - you know - in a good way.'
I felt weirdly pleased by this information.
The interaction between the two main characters is the bloodline of this story. It's what kept me reading until 3am one night. JoJo Moyles has created two such bright, lifelike characters that they seem to exist outside of the page. Even after I'd finished the book, I could easily still conjure them up. I started imagining different scenes without intending to, so strongly are their personalities and characteristics painted. This is a book which is very hard to shake off.
It wasn't often laugh-out-loud funny, but there are many light moments and the constant sparring between Lou and Will made for a humourous read. There's something of classical Hollywood in the way that their insults bounce off each other and bring them closer together (I'm trying so hard to avoid the word banter here). There were other characters, some more worthy of note than others (Lou's tumultuous, loving family spring to mind) - but to be honest they paled in comparison to the vividness of Lou and Will.
The concentration on their relationship keeps Will's paralysis from being the be-all-and-end-all of the novel. It's an issue which is still in focus, but it's weaved naturally into the comings and going of their everyday lives. Plus, Will is such a strong character that it's impossible to define him by his condition.
There's a lot of sadness in this book, but it's not the instant tear jerker that the synopsis might suggest. The novel has a lot more depth to it than that. If I had any criticism it would probably be that it's too easy to read, and that the plot was so compelling that I ended up rushing hastily towards the end instead of savouring it. Enjoyable, heartwarming and authentic.
