Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson - review

What is Before I Go To Sleep about? Imagine waking up every day and not knowing where you are, why you're suddenly middle-aged or who the man lying next to you is. Well, that's what life is like for Christine. Every morning she has to have her life, and the accident that erased her memory, retold to her by her husband, Ben. Her existence seems set to follow this pattern until she meets a doctor who refuses to believe her amneasia is irreversible. She begins to keep a diary and slowly, she begins to piece her past together. But things don't add up. Someone is lying to her. But who? And more importantly, why?

goodtoknow says: The phrase 'page-turner' is often over-used, but SJ Watson's book completely deserves the accolade. We read this book in an almost frenzied fashion, desperate to find out what was going to happen next, and we weren't disappointed in the end result.

During the story, we were torn between feeling so incredibly sorry for Christine, who has had her whole life taken away from her, and cross at her for not fully appreciating the daily pain her condition must cause her husband. But as the plot begins to unravel and we find out why the pieces of the puzzle of her life don't fit together, we were more upset with ourselves for not seeing the truth ealier!

The only slight quibble we had with the book was the (perhaps inevitable) repetition of her conversations with Ben and her doctor. That said, without them, the book would have been unrealistic and altough the storyline itself had a few holes in it, the pace and excitement of the narrative more than made up for it.

All in all a brilliant read with a nail-biting ending to rival any Stephen King thriller!   Rating: 9/10 You'll like this if you liked: The Shining by Stephen King Publisher: Black Swan

Publish Date: Out now

Buy it now on Amazon

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Where to next?

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EL James's 50 Shades of Grey - review

See the new titles in goodtoknow's 2013 Book Club