Before I go to Sleep is the super-successful debut novel from SJ Watson, that has wowed fans across the world. Set in the UK, it tells the story of Christine, a woman with severe amnesia who wakes up each day knowing nothing about who she is, and has to rely on loving husband Ben to fill in the gaps. She is also seeing a specialist psychologist, who encourages her to write a journal to help her try to regain her memories. When she starts doing so, it leads her to wonder who she can trust in her sheltered life, and what the truth really is.
This is a tense thriller that didn’t take me long to finish as I wanted to find the truth almost as much as Christine did. There are plenty of hints and plot twists to keep you guessing, and this makes it an exciting read. I do have a tendency when reading books similar to this to figure out the truth prior to it being revealed, not because I’m especially smart, but because I over think things and imagine all sorts of weird and wonderful scenarios. And because sometimes the big plot twist is so obvious – I’m talking to you The Sixth Sense! But with this book, I was kept guessing until almost right before the big reveals.
Although I really did enjoy this novel, it’s not quite as good as all of the hype suggests, but it is an easy-to-read, enjoyable thriller and I do recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers or crime fiction. The movie rights have been bought, and the film has been cast, but avoid finding out who the stars are until you’ve read the book or you’ll picture them while you read! For what it’s worth though I do very much approve of the casting choices. Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher it certainly is not.
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The Literary Owl rating: 7.5/10
Read with: plenty of time, as you’ll likely want to read this in one sitting
The Literary Owl 