Me Before You Fear

Me Before You doesn't feature any ghouls and goblins, but there's plenty of fear creeping around these pages. There's Will Traynor's fear that his health will continue to worsen after an accident leaves him paralyzed. There's Camilla Traynor's fear that her son might do something terrible to himself in his grief—again. There's Lou Clark's fear that she's let life pass her by, and that she will miss her one opportunity to be with the man she loves. In this way, the novel touches on fears that we all encounter every day—fears about life, love, and all that jazz—giving the novel a realistic perspective on the inner struggles shared by all of us.

Questions About Fear

1. What is Will most afraid of? Explain your answer.
2. Why does Lou blame herself for what happened in the maze?
3. Does Lou manage to overcome her fears by the end of the novel? If so, how?
4. What is the psychological impact of fear on the various characters of the novel?

Chew on This

Will's primary fear is that he will lose the physical abilities he still has left.

Lou manages to overcome her fear of the future by being open with Will and realizing that she has only one chance to achieve her dreams.