Memories are strong in ‘Still Me’

“Still Me” is the third installment in the adventures of Louisa Clark, she of the ditsy fashion sense and knack for sweetening up sourpusses. We first met her in Jojo Moyes’ 2012 breakout, “Me Before You,” and later in “After You.”

Both novels were narrated by Louisa and filled with elements essential to understanding the present book, so here goes: In her first outing Louisa, 27 years old, served as a caregiver to Will Traynor. A once active man in his mid-30s, he was rendered quadriplegic by an accident. The two fell in love. Sadly, Will did not survive, but he did leave Louisa money and a command that she live her life to the fullest.

Louisa carried Will’s memory into “After You,” where, in a state of grief, she polished off a bottle of wine and stumbled off a roof, miraculously surviving. She fell in love with Sam, a paramedic. In other news, Louisa discovered that Will had a child, about whom he had not known. This was Lily, now 16 and a real messed-up kid whose life Louisa sorted out as only she can.

That brings us into the present and “Still Me” — which could just as well be called “Still Will,” because he hasn’t left Louisa’s mind for a minute. His diktat that she expand her world prompts her to accept a job in New York for a year to see what life has to offer there — and, as it happens, it’s no bowl of cherries.

In the city, Louisa serves as gofer and companion to Agnes, the neurotic, Polishimmigrant second wife of an obscenely wealthy guy. The couple have a two-floor apartment on Central Park and live the highflying, 1-percenter lifestyle we’re always reading about and despising.

It emerges that Agnes bears a dark secret, one that eventually leads to big trouble for Louisa. But what of paramedic Sam? Are 3,000-plus miles too many to keep the love light burning? Will Josh, a bright spark on Wall Street (who looks just like the departed Will Traynor) replace him? Do the answers to these questions bring the Louisa chronicles to a close? We hope so. Because while Moyes is an entertaining, often very funny, and pleasantly sappy writer, more and more of Louisa’s story takes place in her memory — a sign to us that she’s ready for retirement.