Will Traynor had it all – in his mid-thirties he was a
wunderkind businessman; had a beautiful girlfriend and wealthy family; and he
thrived on travel and extreme sports. His
world has been destroyed by stepping off a curb into the path of a
motorcycle. Left quadriplegic by the
accident and in considerable pain, he is now being cared for around the clock
in the annex of his parents’ home, in the small town he grew up in whose
tourist attraction is its ancient castle.
Twenty-seven year old Louisa Clark is a local girl who has just been
laid off from the only job she has ever had when the Buttered Bun cafe closes. Her long-term boyfriend, Patrick, has little
time for her as he is training obsessively for an ultra-triathlon; her father’s
job is in jeopardy; her mother is unable to work because she must care for her
stroke-ridden father; and her more favored and intelligent sister, who left college
when she became pregnant, is living at home with her young son in the only
spare bedroom – so Claire sleeps in a closet.
She must find work, and all she can find is a job as one of Will’s
caretakers. He is depressed, suicidal, impatient and
sarcastic. This is the story off their
six months together. Yes, it sounds a
bit like a chick-flick, a setup for a Hallmark Hall of Fame special, or a
remake of An Affair to remember. But I found the characters believable, and
their story thought-provoking and heartbreaking. Oh, and it is also very funny. Kept
me up way too late reading. 369 pp.
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