BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP
BY S. J. WATSON

ABOUT THE BOOK:

S. J. Watson makes his powerful debut with this  compelling, fast-paced  psychological thriller, reminiscent of Shutter Island and Memento, in which an amnesiac who, following a mysterious accident, cannot remember her past or form new memories, desperately tries to uncover the truth about who she is—and who she can trust.

"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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

S. J. Watson lives in London and worked in the National Health Service for a number of years. In 2009 Watson was accepted into the first Faber Academy Writing a Novel course, a rigorous and selective program that covers all aspects of the novel-writing process. Before I Go to Sleep is the result. 

PRAISE FOR BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP:

“The summer’s single most suspenseful plot belongs to BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP. . . . pure page-turner.”

— New York Times

“Memories—real, false, and a bit of both—are at the heart of Watson’s haunting, twisted debut. . . . Watson handles what could have turned into a cheap narrative gimmick brilliantly, building to a chillingly unexpected climax.”— Publishers Weekly“This mesmerizing, skillfully written debut novel works on multiple levels. It is both an affecting portrait of the profound impact of a debilitating illness and a pulse-pounding thriller whose outcome no one could predict.”— Booklist“Watson’s debut novel unwinds as a story that is both complicated and compellingly hypnotic. . . . Watson’s pitch–perfect writing propels the story to a frenzied climax that will haunt readers long after they’ve closed the cover on this remarkable book.”— Kirkus Reviews“An intriguingly fresh look at the amnesia-focused psychological thriller. . . . A captivating and highly suspenseful read, populated with believable characters who lead the reader through a taut, well-constructed plot.”— Library Journal“An exceptional thriller. It left my nerves jangling for hours after I finished the last page.”— Dennis Lehane

“Quite simply the best debut novel I have ever read.”— Tess Gerritsen“A deft, perceptive exploration of a fascinating neurological condition, and a cracking good thriller.”— Lionel Shriver“Brilliant in its pacing, profound in its central question, suspenseful on every page and satisfying in its thriller ending.”— Anita Shreve 
MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
Author S. J. Watson has literally defined psychological thriller in writing BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP. The only problem it has fitting in that definitive category as I can see it, is that psychologically, it should not physically disturb the reader and yet BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP most certainly does.  Upon completing the book, I reread parts of the story to see just where I went wrong with my premise and just what I had missed, leaving me physically and emotionally drained. With the delight of an exceedingly good read, I felt as though I was watching the Bruce Willis film “THE SIXTH SENSE” and having that shocked feeling of “How did I not see that?”!!!

Unless suffering from the same disease as Christine Lucas, the main character, I doubt this will be a book you soon forget. With Christine as the narrator, the suspense begins on the first page as she awakens thinking not only is she in the wrong bed with some strange man, but as she examines herself in the mirror is horrified thinking she is in the wrong body as well! You see, Christine has a very rare type of amnesia that steals her memory each time she goes to sleep at night, or into a deep sleep. When she awakens, she has forgotten the past 20 some years. She is gently reminded that first morning by her patient and loving husband Ben about her illness, and he shows her what her day will be like including a schedule of when and what she might eat. Leaving pictures and notes all around to explain things as Christine looks at them, Ben goes off to work as a teacher and she is left to literally find herself on her own just as she supposedly does each day. And an important part of this book comes in here so keep it in mind; nothing is exactly as it appears to be, or as stated.
 
The basis of Christine’s disease is supposedly that she had a horrible car accident years ago which resulted in damage to her short and long term memory. However, even that first morning, doubts crop up to readers as Christine gets a call from a Dr. Nash, a neurophysiologist, who is treating her for the amnesia and a reminder about her appointment. It comes up that her husband doesn’t know about this and Christine doesn’t have much to really rely on but she feels if Ben is her husband, surely she would have told him.  Nash gets Christine to check for a journal she has been keeping and hiding each day. On the cover is written DON’T TRUST BEN. What is within this journal goes on to make up the majority of BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP. It reveals things that are true and things doubtful which basically take place over a two week period.

As the plot line begins to twist and turn, Christine begins to find out more about things that Ben has kept from her rather than cause her any more pain, or so he says. She begins to have flashes of her past and writes some down trying to piece together a life.  She questions Ben and the answers are shocking but also bring on more questions. With her journal always kept close, she has a nagging feeling something isn’t right here. As she begins to remember these bits and pieces, the awareness that the accident never happened feels strong.
 
Dr. Nash also knows more than he tells at first; and why is that? When Christine finds that out, she now is suspicious of both Ben and Nash. Facts Nash knows but won’t help with, pictures and paperwork missing from home from a “fire” according to Ben, and then there is Claire all add to the perplexing puzzle that seems impossible to put together.

Claire from college days enters the story. Her good friend (or is she?) who references some important things like New Zealand and a son who was in Afghanistan, as well as all the while there are also glimpses flashing by that Christine begins to experience. And what happened in Brighton, England? 

Death, deception, divorce, decisions, and dread all creep into the story and add to the ominous overtones that make BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP the most extremely satisfying and maddening book I can remember reading in years. As I said, all is not what it seems continues right to the last page and beyond as we are left to wonder just what REALLY happened? Did that ending satisfy us? I know this is a book club must if for no other reason than to have others to discuss the book with.  Watson’s book is definitely a psychological thriller that will be the benchmark for all those I will read in the future.   

  GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO MARK AND THE GREAT

PEOPLE AT HARPER COLLINS, I AM

ABLE TO GIVE AWAY ONE COPY OF

THIS AMAZING, BEST-SELLING

BOOK TO ONE OF MY READERS!

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

 
 +1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU READ BY VISITING THE HARPER COLLINS' "BROWSE INSIDE" SECTION AND READING AN EXCERPT FROM BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK THAT I CAN FOLLOW

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE CURRENT GIVEAWAY OF MINE THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED AND IF YOU ENTERED FOR MORE THAN ONE,  YOU MAY COMMENT ON EACH SEPARATELY FOR MORE ENTRIES

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM ON AUGUST 3

GOOD LUCK!