Sometimes a character appears in an author's imagination fully formed. All the writer needs to do is offer him or her a blank page on which to play.

So it was for British writer Jojo Moyes, who hit the bestseller list in America for the first time with her tear-jerking ninth novel, Me Before You. Will Traynor and Louisa Clark, the central characters in the word-of-mouth hit—which has sold more than 5 million copies since it was published in 2012—came to Moyes fleshed out, ready for action. And as Moyes prepared to revisit Lou in the sequel, After You, that sensation resurfaced. Sometimes, lightning strikes twice.

"It's the same thing again, where all you have to do is put yourself in a room with a new situation and it's easy to write," she says, during a telephone call to her home in London.

This time, the character who hit the ground running is Lily, a teenager who shows up on Lou's doorstep. Lou has embraced new experiences since Will's death, including an extended stay in Paris and purchasing a condo in London. But she's become stuck, unable or unwilling to move forward. 

Lily might provide just the push Lou needs.

"They never left me, those characters. Normally, you move on to something else," Moyes says. 

This is the first time Moyes, the author of a dozen books, has written a sequel. "I'm wary to be seen as writing [this book] because Me Before You had done so well," she says. "But literally I had one of those moments where I woke up at 5:30 in the morning and sat bolt upright."

Even with that epiphany and her so-believable-they-seem-real characters, Moyes says she was well aware of the pressures of writing a sequel as compared to a stand-alone book.

"I felt the weight of expectation. Everything I did in this book, I almost could hear the readers saying, no, I don't want that to happen!" 

Fear not, readers—Moyes was careful that Lou's character stayed consistent from the first book to the second. But that means Lou's decision-making skills remain the same, and she doesn't always operate in her own best interest.

"Everyone kind of assumed she'd sail off into the sunset and live a new life. But knowing Lou, she's a sensitive soul. She might do that initially, but what she'd been part of would not be easy to walk away from," Moyes says.

After You is an immersive experience, inviting readers back into the homes of the characters they fell in love with in Me Before You. They'll experience the mourning that follows a devastating loss, and the glimmers of hope that propel the brokenhearted forward. And, like Me Before You, After You is a book that is best leapt into without knowing much about the plot, which explains the slight vagueness Moyes uses when discussing it.

"It's partly a book about what happens when you're left in the wake of somebody else's decision, whether that be a divorce or the decision for someone to take their own life," Moyes says. "I'm always fascinated by the way people are entitled to follow their own path."

While Lou remains a central character, readers will again visit the Clark and Traynor families in all their glory. The quirky Clarks serve as a lighthearted counterpoint to the grief-laden Traynors, whose marriage has crumbled after the loss of their son. Will's death weighs heavy, and his presence permeates After You as his loved ones make decisions informed by his life—or their loss.  "[T]he moment you opened the box, let out even a whisper of your sadness, it would mushroom into a cloud that overwhelmed all other conversation," Lou thinks as she tries to decide how much to tell a new acquaintance about her past.

From that, readers might draw lessons of their own. Moyes is a believer in the power of fiction to change hearts and minds. "Everything I've learned, I've learned from fiction," she says. "One of the greatest things you learn from fiction is empathy. If you can't empathize with someone else's position, it makes a rigid adult."

She's not concerned with maintaining appearances with regard to what she reads; recent titles include a thriller by fellow Brit Lee Child and Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton, a collection of photo essays based on the blog of the same name.

Nor is Moyes worried about how her own work is classified. "I've never pretended that my books are literary fiction. But what I do believe is you can write commercial fiction that is quality. I know what I put into my books, how hard I work with the language, to make sure everything has a proper rhythm," she says.

If sales are anything to go by, Moyes has accomplished that goal. Though her novels are serious page-turners and cover a wide range of topics and time periods, they all contain memorable characters and resonant themes.

Moyes is a hard worker as well; she's published almost a novel per year since she first started writing in 2002. Now that After You is out in the world, the author is planning on taking a bit of a writing break.

"I'm not going to think about writing another book until the end of the year. I just don't have the mental space," she says. 

She's been busy with movies recently: The film adaptation of Me Before You, which stars Emilia Clark ("Game of Thrones") as Lou and Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games) as Will, is set to debut next June, and Moyes has a screenwriting credit. 

"I'm also moving house. Before I spoke to you, I spent an hour painting a floor. I thought to myself, oh, the glamorous life of an international bestseller," Moyes adds, laughing.

In the meantime, she's looking forward to taking her three children along for the After You American book tour. 

"American audiences are so demonstrative. English audiences are usually not as demonstrative," Moyes says. (She has carried observations like these into her work; in After You, Moyes writes of Lou's reaction to Will's father: "If he had been anybody else I might have hugged him just then, but we were English and he had once been my boss of sorts, so we simply smiled awkwardly at each other.")

There's one more national difference that's pretty important to a best-selling author like Moyes.

"In the United States, if they ask how many books you've sold, you say 5 million copies, and they break into applause. In England, they're like, oh, stop showing off.

 

This article was originally published in the October 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Garth Risk Hallberg's bestselling debut novel, City on Fire, is a mesmerizing portrait of New York City in the 1970s. The narrative follows a variety of characters, including wealthy siblings William and Regan Hamilton-Sweeney; a young punk, Charlie Weisbarger, whose heart belongs to cooler-than-thou Samantha Cicciaro; a neurotic journalist named Richard Kosgroth, and a cop who's attempting to untangle the mystery behind the book's central event: a shooting in Central Park on New Year's Eve. The crime connects these disparate characters in ways that will surprise the reader, and Hallberg's exploration of the ties that bind them illuminate an era. He nimbly weaves in trends particular to the times—disco, drugs, graffiti—and his use of detail and dialogue, along with unexpected elements such as handwritten letters and cartoons, bring wonderful authenticity to what's sure to become a classic New York City novel. Earning the author comparisons to Tom Wolfe and Donna Tartt, this is a remarkably assured, richly rewarding debut.

MOVING ON
Jojo Moyes follows up the bestselling Me Before You with an irresistible sequel that chronicles the next chapter in the life of Louisa Clark. After You finds Lou adapting to life after losing Will Traynor, the man she loved. She leads a lonely existence in London until a bad fall sends her back home to her family. Lou recuperates slowly in both mind and body, but recuperate she does, thanks in part to the connections she makes through a support group called Moving On. She even embarks on a new relationship with paramedic Sam Fielding—a tough, competent figure who deals with grief and loss on a daily basis. But there are more twists and turns in store for her, as she considers a new job and tries to put the past behind her. Moyes' many followers will welcome the return of Lou and root for her as she moves forward with her life. This is another poignant, deeply satisfying love story from an author who has perfected the form.

TOP PICK FOR BOOK CLUBS
With Purity, Jonathan Franzen(The Corrections) delivers another timely, provocative work of literary fiction. College grad Pip Tyler lives in Oakland, California. Intelligent but somewhat adrift, she is drawn to the Sunlight Project, a collective that exposes concealed information via the internet. The project's magnetic leader, Andreas Wolf, hails from East Germany, and his work opens up new worlds for Pip, who embarks on an internship to South America through the organization. Pip never knew her father, and she has hopes of untangling the mysteries of her past via her work with the group. But her relationship with Andreas intensifies, and she soon finds herself entangled in a complicated web involving politics and murder. With a varied cast that includes Pip's domineering yet elusive mother, Franzen's fifth novel unfolds on a grand scale but feels intimate thanks to the author's nuanced character portrayals. Franzen fans will not be disappointed. 

 

This article was originally published in the August 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Louisa Clark lives a small, simple life. At age 27, she shares a home with her quirky family, works at a local café and maintains a lackluster relationship with her beau of seven years. She may have dreamt of leaving her tiny English village once or twice, but it just doesn't seem practical; with the recent economic downturn, Lou's salary has kept the family afloat. And then her boss closes his café and Louisa is left adrift. Forced to take almost any job that will pay the family's bills, Louisa agrees to serve as caretaker for a wealthy quadriplegic, despite having absolutely no training. As she quickly discovers, the job is much more—in ways both triumphant and tragic—than she bargained for.

Jojo Moyes' Me Before You is a most unconventional love story. Lou and her charge, the handsome, privileged Will Traynor, are at first like oil and water. Will is cold and aloof with everyone, but he seems generally displeased to have Lou around. Lou comes to realize that's because she isn't just a caregiver—she's a babysitter. Will was an adventure junkie with career success, complete independence and a slew of gorgeous women by his side. His injury has left him physically and emotionally devastated—and certain that he doesn't want to live this way. But both Lou and Will have surprises in store for each other, and Moyes lets their relationship develop in wonderful, hilarious and unexpected ways. Lou simply will not let Will go down without a fight, and in her battle to save his life, she ends up changing her own.

Moyes' twisting, turning, heartbreaking novel raises provocative moral questions while developing a truly unique relationship between two people brought together by chance. With shades of David Nicholls' beloved One Day, Me Before You is the kind of book you simply can't put down—even when you realize you don't want to see it end. This may not be a novel for the faint of heart, but it is a big-hearted, beautifully written story that teaches us it is never too late to truly start living.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE
Read a Q&A with Jojo Moyes about Me Before You.

LIFE’S TWISTS AND TURNS
Alice Munro continues to demonstrate her mastery of the short-story form in Dear Life: Stories, another collection of probing, compassionate, beautifully crafted narratives. Many of the book’s 14 pieces take place in rural Ontario, where the author grew up. All of them exhibit the quiet power and luminous prose that are Munro’s trademarks. In the World War II-era “Train,” a soldier jumps from the train that’s carrying him home, an act that sends his life in an unexpected direction. “Amundsen” features a cold-hearted doctor who romances a young teacher and then rejects her—a textbook case of seduction and abandonment that leaves a permanent mark on the woman. The book includes four closely linked pieces that are somewhat autobiographical, giving readers a fascinating glimpse into the author’s past. Munro, who recently turned 82, is still at the top of her game. As this deeply satisfying collection shows, she’s an expert when it comes to laying bare human motives and emotions.

ROWLING RETURNS
J.K. Rowling scores again with The Casual Vacancy, her first book aimed at adult readers. Set in a fictional parish called Pagford, the novel examines the manners and morals of the town’s inhabitants. The death of kind-hearted Barry Fairbrother results in an open seat on the parish council that becomes a source of conflict in the community. Council leader Howard Mollison hopes to redistrict the Fields, Pagford’s low-income, drug-infested sector—an idea Fairbrother opposed prior to his demise. An election for the empty seat is soon slated, with Mollison’s lawyer son, Miles, vying for the position. After controversial postings attributed to Fairbrother’s ghost appear on the council’s website, tensions rise. This compelling book features a broad cast of characters—heroin users, prostitutes, well-to-do parents—and touches upon a number of social issues, including poverty and class conflict. While Rowling has proven time and again that she’s queen of the fantasy genre, she demonstrates here that she’s also a skillful practitioner of modern literary fiction.

TOP PICK FOR BOOK CLUBS
Me Before You is a heartbreaking novel that readers won’t soon forget. Raised in a tiny English town, Louisa Clark doesn’t have big plans for the future—until she meets a quadriplegic named Will Traynor. Will, a former playboy, athlete and adrenaline junky, was hit by a motorbike and now spends his days in a wheelchair. Louisa is hired by his mother to look after him and lift his flagging spirits. Despite her patient’s abrasive, slightly mocking nature, Louisa is drawn to Will. The two develop an affection for one another, but their prospects for happiness are darkened by a plan Will is harboring for the future. Louisa’s attempts to rekindle his passion for daily experience cause her to re-evaluate her own life, and she finds herself growing in ways she never thought possible. Jojo Moyes, a skillful novelist, eschews sentimentality in this poignant tale. She writes about the couple’s relationship in a style that’s clear and unembellished. This is a singular love story that will resonate with readers and provide excellent material for book group discussions.

In million-copy best seller Me Before You, Louisa Clark becomes caretaker to Will Traynor, wheelchair-bound after an accident and embittered enough to be planning suicide. Moyes initially had no plans to follow up, but readers kept asking what happened to Lou, and Moyes got an inspiration that she turned into this book.

This unexpected sequel to Moyes's Me Before You reveals what happened to Louisa Clark after that book's heart-wrenching finale. Eighteen months after those events, a terrible accident sends Lou home to her family. Forced to take stock of her life after Will, she realizes it's not what he had hoped for her. So she begins to struggle up out of her grief. This book doesn't reach the emotional level of its predecessor; it lacks the intense focus on two characters that elevated Me Before You to its unique position among Moyes's works. There's a lot to follow as well. Along with Lou's journey, we see the emotional quests of her family, Will's family (including some unexpected members), a grief support group, and, of course, a new romantic interest. The many surprises and misunderstandings are all neatly tied up by the end. VERDICT A necessary book for public libraries everywhere. Moyes's many fans will line up to read more about Lou. The author's usual style is reflected, ensuring that fans of romance and family drama will be delighted. [See Prepub Alert, 3/23/15.]—Melanie Kindrachuk, Stratford P.L., Ont.

In Moyes's (The Last Letter from Your Lover) disarmingly moving love story, Louisa Clark leads a routine existence: at 26, she's dully content with her job at the cafe in her small English town and with Patrick, her boyfriend of six years. But when the cafe closes, a job caring for a recently paralyzed man offers Lou better pay and, despite her lack of experience, she's hired. Lou's charge, Will Traynor, suffered a spinal cord injury when hit by a motorcycle and his raw frustration with quadriplegia makes the job almost unbearable for Lou. Will is quick-witted and sardonic, a powerhouse of a man in his former life (motorcycles; sky diving; important career in global business). While the two engage in occasional banter, Lou at first stays on only for the sake of her family, who desperately needs the money. But when she discovers that Will intends to end his own life, Lou makes it her mission to persuade him that life is still worth living. In the process of planning "adventures" like trips to the horse track—some of which illuminate Lou's own minor failings—Lou begins to understand the extent of Will's isolation; meanwhile, Will introduces Lou to ideas outside of her small existence. The end result is a lovely novel, both nontraditional and enthralling. Agent: Sheila Crowley, Curtis Brown. (Dec.)