Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
Mystery/Thriller

Christine suffered from a traumatic accident many years ago and every time she wakes up in the morning, she can't remember the past. Her husband, Ben, needs to remind her every morning that they are married, that she has lost her memory, and tell her where things are in their house. After Ben goes to work, Christine gets a call from a Dr. Nash that claims to be her doctor, saying that he has an appointment with her that day and that her husband doesn't know about their sessions. Christine finds his name in her calendar and agrees to meet him. Dr. Nash provides Christine with a journal she had been writing in for the past week, which starts with "Don't trust Ben". The reader learns about Christine's past as she learns about it, with some fairly big shockers about how she came to be like she is and the significant events she's had in her life that she hasn't been able to remember.

This book hooks you on the first page, which is quite rare. It starts with Christine waking up and knowing as little about herself as the reader does. The reader learns everything as Christine learns it. A good portion of the novel is Christine's diary, which communicates what she has learned every day and the small memories she has.

The premise at first reminded me of the movie 50 First Dates with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. That, however, is an up-beat story and this is a thriller that has the main character trying to figure out what is her real past and what are lies.

I simply could not put this book down. Watson keeps the pace up, with a perfect amount of suspense, yet he still gives away little pieces of Christine's past that keeps the reader engaged. By the end of the novel, I had a fairly good idea of what the twist was, but there were other plot twists that I didn't expect.

Buy this book

First Line: "The bedroom is strange."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

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