Me Before You Re-read discussion

Now that we've met Georgina, it strikes me that sibling rivalry is one of the novel's underlying themes. Even into adulthood, Georgina feels that she is forced to live in Will's shadow. Perhaps that's even the reason she moved to Australia.

We already know that Lou has lived in Treen's shadow and some of you have already shared your experiences with your own siblings. Is sibling rivalry a normal part of family life? Does it potentially foster closeness? Or is it a dangerous sign that the parents are showing an obvious preference to one child?

I think it could possibly be a normal part of family life but it can be an inflammatory thing as one sibling will feel that they are not being thought of as much as the other.
In some ways I think it would cause for a split in the relationships between siblings. I would say it was a dangerous situation for parents to get into.

Readsandeats wrote: "I think it could possibly be a normal part of family life but it can be an inflammatory thing as one sibling will feel that they are not being thought of as much as the other.
In some ways I think..."

One thing I will share about AFTER YOU: We learn quite a lot more about the Clarks' family dynamic. I think that it will give readers of ME BEFORE YOU a much deeper understanding of why Lou and Treen's parents treat them as they do. We even get to know grandpa a bit better!

It will be good to learn more about that.

I think sibling rivalry is a normal part of life. I think it sometimes helps you to strive to do better to keep up with an older sibling who makes honor roll or becomes a rocket scientist, like my big brother. We were five years apart so I never felt like I was directly competing with him, but he did set standards for me that I had to have this certain test score or only go to these specific schools because he knew what would be good for me. Granted we did fight a lot then, but now we are the best of friends.
I think the rivalry depends on each family though, some get really competitive whereas others make it a friendly banter type game.

Dara wrote: "I think sibling rivalry is a normal part of life. I think it sometimes helps you to strive to do better to keep up with an older sibling who makes honor roll or becomes a rocket scientist, like my ..."

That's a good perspective, Dara. My brothers were so much older than me that they seemed more like uncles. Consequently, my childhood was a bit lonely--thank goodness for books! But I grew up longing to have a sister close to my age. Lou's experience really shows that having a sibling that close in age can be a double-edged sword!

I am an only and would have loved siblings. For various reasons I did not do as well at school as I should have done but am now proving to myself and others that I can achieve.

Readsandeats wrote: "I am an only and would have loved siblings. For various reasons I did not do as well at school as I should have done but am now proving to myself and others that I can achieve."

That's wonderful to hear, Readsandeats. I'm glad you're not afraid to challenge yourself. Learning isn't something that should be confined to our early years. We don't use the term "mature students" in the United States, but I liked it when I came across it in ME BEFORE YOU. It seems much better to be a "mature" student than an immature one!

Being a Mature Student is really enjoyable. You get more from the Uni experience as you are very comfortable in your skin, you are not really out to influence people, you don't have to go out drinking etc. One of the main things though is that you get to bring all your life experience so far into your assignments.

A draw back is that there are not many groups/societies for Mature Students (have been thinking that there should be a type of Sorority/Fraternity for Mature Students - possibly on line as well as campus based where you can get together, have fun, support each other in your studies and do other things such as Philanthropy work as well). What do others think?

I think having more of a network for mature students sounds good. Everyone needs to feel support and connection.