Wednesday 15 January 2014

Before I Go To Sleep ~ S.J. Watson

Can you imagine waking up one day and not knowing a thing about the day before?
(Ha, okay, well perhaps we have been there- done that after a night of binge drinking in our idiot youth....but that's not what I mean....)

Imagine waking up next to a person you don't know or recognize (One night stands don't count....) 
Imagine looking in the mirror assuming you are a youthful 20 year old, but the shocking reality is you are much older than what you remember.....(Okay, I'm guilty I do that every morning)
Imagine having to your life told to you over and over again on a daily basis, by a stranger who you learn is your husband.
Imagine learning that when you go to bed at night, your memory will be wiped clean and when you wake it will all start over again.

It reminds me of that Adam Sandler -Drew Barrymore comedy.....(50 First Dates).....but this novel is far from comedic.
It's tragic and frightening.

Released in 2011 "Before I Go To Sleep" by S.J Watson is an absolute MUST READ for people who like a dramatic thriller..... or anyone looking for an amazing novel to lose themselves in!!



Book Description:



Christine wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man.
She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar, middle-aged face. And every morning, the man she has woken up with must explain that he is Ben, he is her husband, she is forty-seven years old, and a terrible accident two decades earlier decimated her ability to form new memories.
But it’s the phone call from a Dr. Nash, a neurologist who claims to be working with Christine without her husband’s knowledge, that directs her to her journal, hidden in the back of her closet. For the past few weeks, Christine has been recording her daily activities -- tearful mornings with Ben, sessions with Dr. Nash, flashes of scenes from her former life -- and rereading past entries, relearning the facts of her life as retold by the husband she is completely dependent upon. As the entries build up, Christine asks many questions. What was life like before the accident? Why did she and Ben never have a child? What has happened to Christine’s best friend? And what exactly was the horrific accident that caused such a profound loss of memory?
Every day, Christine must begin again the reconstruction of her past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more unbelievable it seems.

My Summery and Take:

There is a surefire reason this book is getting buzz and has a major motion picture coming out! This novel is beyond intense.
The plot had me completely hooked. Christine wakes up every day feeling young only to discover that is far from the case. She is shocked to discover she is much older than she remembers....and that strange man in her bed is her husband. It's his job on a daily basis has to fill her in and reintroduce her to what has become of her life.
She learns she is keeping a journal and with the help of a Dr. Nash.....a psychologist who contacted her in hopes of studying her usual case.The thing is, it's to be kept a secret from her husband (who has given up on her ever remembering). She and the doctor secretly work together as she struggles to remember and regain her memory. His methods seem to work as the more she documents, the more triggers she's shown.... the more flashbacks she has. As we read her entries, we discover bits and pieces and learn things that don't quite add up. The question is, why has nothing worked until now?
 As the novel progresses, you really start wondering if you can trust anyone....including her journal entries. Can she even trust herself?? Is she documenting everything in her journal correctly? What kind of person was she before she lost her memory? What will happen if her husband was to discover the journal? Where are her friends and family from before the accident? What is real and what is her imagination???
This book gave me chills. I always like to put myself into the characters shoes and really digest a novel like this but not even I can even fathom what this character goes through. The paranoia, the distrust.....your life having been stolen from you and you can't recall anything or anyone. This is a novel that will haunt your thoughts long after you have read it. It's a truly frightening thought to know that people suffer from amnesia on a daily basis and my heart goes out to those who suffer from this condition.
It's been days since I completed the novel and I still can't shake the story. That's the mark of a great read!
A wonderfully written novel, it captures the desperation and struggle of Christine's character beautifully. I do believe I may have suffered from some anxiety reading it which would explain why I didn't want to put it down. I needed to know how it ended so I could relax! I highly recommend this one!

On a side note...It's very rare my husband shows any interest in books, let alone in one I am reading. I don't know if it was the cover of the novel or if I was making sounds while reading it.....but my husband started asking questions about what it was about. I summed it up for him, this turned into a discussion on related movies-books-situations (Odd....) and I was quite happy when he said "If that was a movie, I would see it!" (...because Heaven-forbid he actually picks a book up....)
One Google search later and it looks like we have a date!!! Before I Go To Sleep is releasing in theaters later on this year....starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong.
(Now, if only I could read a few passages to him from Fifty Shades of Grey....maybe... just maybe I can convince him to see that one with me as well? ;)  )

Ladies, Gentleman.... Add "Before I Go To Sleep" to your reading lists and be sure to see this one once it hits theaters!! Make a night of it! ;)


Happy Reading!


1 comment:

  1. Thanks Irene. Your reading range is fabulous..going to load it now!!

    ReplyDelete