Jojo Moyes, who has sold 40 million books, once worked for South China Morning Post

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I’ve discovered a new author. Jojo Moyes. Wow, what a good story teller. Stephen King without the horror.

Wikipedia says Ms Moyes’ books have been translated into 28 languages and have sold 40 million copies.The book that grabbed my attention from the first chapter is “Me Before You”, which sold six million copies.

It is the story of a Bridget Jones-type character, a poor ordinary girl, quite desperate and sometimes comical, called Louisa who takes a job as helper to a wheel-chair-borne former Master of the Universe named Will Traynor. Before his injury in a motorcycle accident he led a rich masculine life, extreme sports, big deals, worldwide travel. Now he’s confined at home and he can’t even turn over in bed. Will is moody and bossy, treating his helper Louisa poorly. She refuses to be cowed, learning to trade verbal jabs. Despite his infirmity their relationship develops, mutual regard grows.

Then Lou realises Will has shocking plans. She sets out to show him life really is worth living.

I’m only up to Page 89, but “Me Before You” has lassoed my attention and won’t let me go. It is one of those rare books that is hard to put down.

Jojo Moyes (real name Pauline Sara Jo Moyes) is the kind of person you’d love to have living next door. She lives on a farm in Great Sampford, Essex, with her husband, three children, a retired racehorse and a rescued Pyrenean mountain dog.

Now a multi-millionaire because of book sales, Ms Moyes had a hard-scrabble life, a braille typist for blind people, a brochure writer for a nightclub, a mini-cab controller, then the breakthrough, she moved into regional journalism while attending university doing journalism courses. She moved to the Independent newspaper and for a year, worked in Hong Kong for the Sunday Morning Post.

Her first book was rejected by several publishers and she tried again with two more. These were rebuffed too. Ms Moyes decided to give up if her fourth book was also rejected. Bingo! Six publishers liked it so much they started a bidding war. This was “Sheltering Rain”, her first published book which came out in 2002. When Ms Moyes presented the manuscript for “Me Before You” to her publisher Hodder and Stoughton, they rejected it. So she took it to Penguin who did publish it and the book went to No. 1 in nine countries. Ms Moyes wrote two sequels to “Me Before You”, “After You” and “Still Me”.

Ms Moyes has won so many literary rewards we won’t bother you by listing them all here. But we will give you a tip: the Sai Kung Public Library has several of Ms Moyes’ books on its back shelf. That’s where we found “Me Before You” and got lucky.

LATER. . .

I’ve finished “Me Before You” somewhat stunned. Never before, I think, has fiction brought tears to my eyes. I marvel at the power of Jojo Moyes’ writing. At first glance it is an unattractive plot: a helper falls in love with a quadriplegic in a wheelchair and he with her. But the writing is magnificent. Previously if you asked me which are my favourite fictional books I would say, “Where the Crawdads Sing”, “The Poisonwood Bible”, and “Lonesome Dove”. Now I add “Me Before You”.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: Penguin Books 2013: ISBN-10: 0143124544, ISBN-13: 978-0143124542