Review: Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Before I Go to Sleep
Author: S.J. Watson
Published: June 14, 2011
Genre: thriller
Hardcover: 360 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 3.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): '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 only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine's life.


My Thoughts: I typically stay away from thrillers (because I'm a wuss), but just reading the synopsis for this book made me want to read it. Following Christine, a woman who has a rare form of amnesia where she can recall some memories from long ago, but cannot remember what happened the day before. Everyday, she wakes and wonders where she is and who the man is lying beside her in bed (her husband, Ben). Everyday, she must relearn who he is, where they live, and what happened to her. When she goes to bed at night, her memory basically resets itself so that everything she learned the day before is gone. Christine narrates this story, which you think may make for a choppy story, but S.J. Watson makes it work. Everyday, Christine relearns those basic details of her current situation, but it's never repetitive. The story progressed, sometimes a bit slowly, but Christine is discovering what really happened to her to make her lose her memory.


Christine is a likeable character, even though she sometimes acts out. She is very rational and logical, aware of her current situation and the futility of learning things. About two-thirds of the way through the book, it really picks up and you start questioning everyone around Christine, trying to figure out who's intentions are pure and who is out to harm her. The story is well-told, even if the ending is a bit unrealistic. That didn't ruin the book for me in anyway. If you are a wuss like me and tend to stay away from thrillers, I would recommend that you check out this book. It's intriguing without being too over the top.