Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson | Review

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Published: February 7, 2012

Publisher: Harper

Pages: 368

Received: Originally read a borrowed copy, but my reread was from publisher via TLC Book Tours

Find online: Goodreads | Amazon | IndieBound | B&N

"As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I’m still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me. . . ."

Memories define us.

So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?

Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love—all forgotten overnight.

And the one person you trust may be telling you only half the story.

Welcome to Christine's life.

Plot Notes:

This was such a gripping psychological thriller - just the way I like them. You follow Christine through her daily ritual of waking up, panicking due to not knowing where she is, finding notes on the mirror telling her she has a memory loss issue. She listens to a man, named Ben, who tells her they are married, who tells her that a terrible accident has caused amnesia for many years and she struggles every day with the information - over and over again. 

The amazing part is that during her struggles she has help from a doctor who calls her to remind her where her journal is hidden so she can read the entries and know more about her life and past. The first entry is DON'T TRUST BEN! Is this just because she can't remember him clearly due to her memory loss or is there a real reason to not trust him? The journal is the key to her figuring out her past, who she was/is now and who to trust. There is so much emotion in this book that it holds you tight like a vice and leaves your heart and mind needing more. The story will leave you breathless and anxious all at once.

I recommended this book to everyone I work with, my sister and my friends. It's a story that made a huge impact on me, it's hard to forget something so intense and emotional.

Character Notes:

Christine is much stronger than she thinks when you first meet her. She is determined to figure out her past and see if she can overcome this amnesia with the help of a secret doctor and the journal of her memories and thoughts. Her character draws you into the story and you almost feel like you are right there with her through everything - watching her journey, feeling the terrified thoughts that flick through her mind of who to trust (including her own memories - are they real or is her mind making things up to fill in the gaps?) and finally learning the terrible truth about what happened to her.

Favourite Quotes:

“I cannot imagine how I will cope when I discover that my life is behind me, has already happened, and I have nothing to show for it. No treasure house of collection, no wealth of experience, no accumulated wisdom to pass on. What are we, if not an accumulation of our memories?”

Other notes:

I like this cover much better... drawn to it more.

I still haven't watched the movie yet, I have a reservation for a copy from my library (I'm number 51 on the wait list). I was sad about that, because I was hoping to write a comparison post about the book vs. movie.

Other Books By This Author:

-Second Life (currently reading - review coming June 30th)

About the Author:

S. J. Watson was born in the Midlands and lives in London. His first novel was the award-winning Before I Go to Sleep, which has sold over four million copies in more than forty languages around the world. It was recently adapted into a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, and Mark Strong.

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