Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
by Jenners • 02/18/2012 • 4 Stars, B Titles, Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, W Authors • 36 Comments
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. WatsonPublisher: Harper, 2011
Pages: 368
Genre: Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Where I Got It: Bought it for my Kindle
Why I Read It: When I read the book description, it so intrigued me that I had to read it.
My Rating: 4 stars
Book Description
Here is the description from Amazon that hooked me:
Every day Christine wakes up not knowing where she is. Her memories disappear every time she falls asleep. Her husband, Ben, is a stranger to her, and he’s obligated to explain their life together on a daily basis—all the result of a mysterious accident that made Christine an amnesic. With the encouragement of her doctor, Christine starts a journal to help jog her memory every day. One morning, she opens it and sees that she’s written three unexpected and terrifying words: “Don’t trust Ben.” Suddenly everything her husband has told her falls under suspicion. What kind of accident caused her condition? Who can she trust? Why is Ben lying to her? And, for the reader: Can Christine’s story be trusted?
My Thoughts
The description immediately reminded me of the excellent movie Memento, which was a mind-bending thriller about a man with amnesia who cannot make new memories but is trying to solve the murder of his wife with a series of notes, tattoos and photos that he uses as clues. I adored Memento (even though it gave me a big fat headache trying to follow it), and Before I Go To Sleep sounded similar. I’m glad to report that the book mostly lived up to my expectations. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was really going on. Although the ending didn’t quite live up to what I was hoping for (but how often do they?), the ride was totally worth it.
The book is told from Christine’s point of view so we get information about her situation at the same time Christine does, which I thought was an effective way to write the book. Watson keeps up the pace throughout and does a good job of keeping you in suspense—making for a fast and exciting read.
However, the ending had some issues that might leave some readers feeling disgruntled and underwhelmed. I can’t help but think if Watson had just added one more sentence at the very end, it would have made for a brilliant ending. (If you’re curious about the sentence, let me know in the comments and I’ll e-mail it to you.) Still, it was a better than average thriller that got my blood pumping and kept me reading later than I should have. I also have to give Watson props as this is his debut novel, and I think he picked a difficult premise to pull off. I suspect that if you think about the specifics too much, the whole thing might fall apart so don’t think too much while reading. Just go with the flow and you’ll find yourself whipping through this book in no time.
Recommended For
Fans of mysteries and thrillers that offer psychological suspense up the wazoo.
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I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed this one as much as I did! I had a hard time putting it down and even though I felt that the ending was a bit rushed…well I still enjoyed the book. Great review!
Memento gave me a big headache too! This one is on my wish list already. Someday I might get to it
I really liked this novel as well and I’d love to know what sentence you’re referring to. I found the ending a bit rushed but that didn’t stop me from loving the book. I’ll have to check out that movie though as it sounds like something I’d really like.
I’ve got to read this book! I’m a wimp and don’t like ‘scary,’ but I have to find out what your suggested sentence would be (at the rate I’m going, expect that email from me at the end of the summer!)
I own this book and haven’t read it yet partly because I read some lukewarm reviews. The other day, though, I read a review that mentioned Memento which thrilled me because I love Memento. And now here you are starting your review with Memento! I’ve watched this movie a handful of times because the first time it gave me a headache although I loved it. The great thing about Memento is that every time you watch you catch something you didn’t before….at least I did!
So now I want to read this book to see how I feel about it. I really like it when I don’t want to put a book down and really want to know what happens…getting so absorbed is great! I’m curious about the ending, too. After I read it, maybe we can discuss what that one missing line should be!
I’ve heard good things about this book. It reminds me of that movie with Drew Barrymore when she wakes up every morning not recognizing her husband and by sunset he would make her fall in love with him over and over again. I forgot the name, though.
Glad to know you liked it, your review sounds intriguing.
Gosh, I read this too long ago to probably appreciate the one sentence !
I very seldom read thriller’s but this one sounds good.
I don’t normally seek out thrillers, but I like stories about amnesia. Which of the two would you recommend I start with if I were to read them?
I was engrossed with this book, but there were so many times I had to suspend disbelief, and it took away from the story for me. I also really didn’t like that ending, and Sandy did indeed inform me of the ending you had in mind. I would have loved that! One thing that bothered me with the audiobook was the weird lack of urgency in the narrator’s delivery. If I was going through that, I can imagine that I would be pretty urgent!
Oh, I loved this book – it was nail-biting.
Please do let me know what ending you have in mind that could make it even better.
Anything that reminds me of Memento is a-ok. I am supposed to be reading this right now, and clearly I need to jump on it soon.
I also enjoyed Memento (in fact I own it) so the comparison is high praise!
Sounds fantastic. Now I’m wondering about that ending.
My first thought was this sounded a bit like the film 50 First Dates but reading more of your review it became clear that this is obviously a lot darker. Sounds like a great read, here’s hoping our library can get hold of a copy.
I have this 3.5/5, not as good as I’d hoped it’d be… it got a little repetitive and I don’t like the ambiguous ending! I am very curious what your extra one sentence would be! please share
cytljjb @ gmail com
Here’s my review if you are interested:
http://mentalfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/06/book-review-before-i-go-to-sleep-by-sj.html
sounds like an interesting book.
I like the sound of this one, even though it wasn’t perfect. I do have the ARC and need to try it:)
I’m not familiar with Memento, but am now interested in it, as well as this book. Excellent review, Jenners!
This one is currently waiting in my TBR pile… It really sounds like my cup of tea, so I really should get around to it. I may be back to you after I’ve read it to find out what that last sentence should be!
Finally, I’ve read a book that you’re reviewing. I liked the book, and automatically assumed the author was a female because of the vivid descriptions of the insecurity Christine had about her aging appearance.
What’s the last line that would make it for you?
I have a feeling I’ll like this one too. I’ll try to remember to email you for that sentence once I’ve read the book.
I have this one from the publisher but I’m not sure I’ll ever read it. I couldn’t tell you why. There’s just something about the idea that isn’t selling it to me.
I’m reading this for TLC book tours this weekend and will review it next week. It sounds like I am in for a treat. I have a feeling I will be reading it straight through to the end. Great review Jenners. You have me really excited to read this one.
I have heard a lot about this book and will probably read it at some point. No big rush, though.
I loved this one, but the more I thought about it, I’m like Jackie: there were some issues. I rated it 5 stars when I read it because I so loved the experience of reading it, but several 4.5 star books beat this one to make my top reads of 2011 list.
I spelled Memento incorrectly above. Oops.
I had to watch Momento more than once, to get with it. But, it really was good. I shall have to read this one. Books that keep you from going to bed are my kind of books.
I loved this book and found it much easier to follow than Memento. (but then books usually are easier than movies to follow…you can always thumb back)
I’ll agree the ending was a little weak, but overall I thought it was a great story. Yes, let me know your ending line.
I agree, the ending didn’t quite do it for me, but I liked this book. The intrigue of amnesia really gets a hold on my, maybe because memories are so important to me and I cannot imagine losing them
I hated Memento! So I probably wouldn’t like this!
I’m happy to see that this book got a good review. The story looked interesting, so I picked up a copy this week.
Love your blog!
I’d like to know the sentence! I felt the same way about this book… the ending was ‘eh’, but everything leading up to it was good.
My brain was poking holes in the plot the whole way through the book! I didn’t DISLIKE the book, but didn’t think it outstanding either. I would have liked it a hell of a lot more if she would have had the Jenners ending!
Snap! We had identical reactions to this book. My problem is that I’ve thought about this book too much and had several conversations about it. Each conversation reveals more holes in the plot. I recommend trying not to think about it now you’ve finished.