You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Before I Go to Sleep
Group Themed Reads: Discussions
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October read: Before I go to Sleep - led by Kate
Can't wait to start this one. I have it on my nightstand and it's ready for the 1st of October. Well, maybe I'll start earlier than that.
Already started it. Sorry! It's a different take on weird situations. Really good so far.
Who is leading? Us it r?
It looks like you are leading it Kate. The discussion leader is whoever nominated the book.
I read this not too long ago. Very interesting concept.
Okay, so now I guess I have to read it! Yikes!
Kate wrote: "Okay, so now I guess I have to read it! Yikes!"LOL! It might be a good idea.
And now the title of this thread makes it official! It's not in my library system so I literally have to go and purchase it. Happily I'm just about to finish The Language of Flowers so it's good timing.
It is only £3.59 for the Kindle at the moment. If you're in the UK that is :)
I bought it and starte it last night. I a all set. Thanks!
Doesn't look like something I'd normally pick up, but that can be a good thing. I'll have to get it and see what I think.
Was hoping to read this and join in the discussion but I am 197 on the waiting list at the library. Popular book!
I was 305 in my library system which is why I had to buy it. I reviewed it this morning. No spoilers in my review.
Okay, it's the 1st, time to start the discussion! I'd like to start off talking about, aside from this being the book of the month, what drew you to want to read this book? For me, "thriller" isn't normally a genre I'd pick up. I am definitely not one of those people that "love a good mystery". I decided to read it because it was getting a lot of "buzz" from my local indie bookstore and that just happened to coincide with a time when I happened to be at the bookstore quite often. I also wondered about it because of that movie "50 First Dates" which was a romantic comedy. This book seemed to have the same premise but with the exact opposite twist. So, to start us off, why did you read Before I Go To Sleep?
The amnesia premise sounded interesting, however I found it to be very similar to psychological thrillers by other authors eg Sophie Hannah or Lisa Gardiner. The twist was rather predictable.
I read it because of the buzz, and because I thought the amnesia premise interesting.
I started to read it because the idea was very intriguing. It seemed like it was going to be a real mystery.
I started to read it because the idea was very intriguing. It seemed like it was going to be a real mystery.
I'm interested to know from those of you reading/planning to read this book, is this genre something you usually read or is this more of a departure for you? And, for those who have read thrillers/psychological thrillers before/regularly, where does this one rank? In other words, in your opinion, does this novel do the genre justice?
And for those of you, like me, who would not normally pick up a book like this one (frankly, I'm normally too scared to read something like this - in part because the majority of my reading time is right before I go to sleep), did this book make you want to read more (psychological) thrillers or go back to your "normal" reading corner?
I read psychological thrillers very occasionally. This one was all right. Good concept, a bit tedious and drawn out. It was as "thrilling" as I want to get. I don't like gory things about serial killers and mass murderers. I will continue my "very occasionally" reading of thrillers.
I have read other thriller and am quite keen on detective fiction. I thought this was pretty average on the plot front. Technically it must have been quite difficult to write, because the author has to keep remembering what the amnesiac does and doesn't know.
Alison wrote: "I have read other thriller and am quite keen on detective fiction. I thought this was pretty average on the plot front. Technically it must have been quite difficult to write, because the author ha..."I agree! I had a hard time keeping it straight and I did think it must have been hard for the author to do that - but then it felt like the author kind of got lazy about it too. As the book went on some of what Christine was supposed to forget (like writing in her journal) she started remembering to do on her own. She would even comment on that ... kind of, "oh wow, somehow I remembered to write in my journal all on my own this morning ....". The book started to fall apart a bit for me when that started to happen with some frequency.
Yes Kate , I noticed that too.
I agree with Kate and Alison about Christine remembering things that she shouldn't remember. It took away from the enjoyment of the book. I started looking for little glitches like that.
I do not normally read thriller although I do enjoy psychological mysteries. I found the amnesia angle to be unique and it intrigued me as soon as I read about the plot. Scary books are not at all what I read now days so I'm worried that I'll have interrupted sleep. I really like my sleep. I just started the book last night and liked the beginning. The 1 odd thing that I noticed was that Ben described what his job is and said that he teaches in a high school. They are in England, right? Are the schools called high schools in the UK? I thought that didn't sound right. But it could be part of the mystery.
Well in Scotland they are certainly called high schools. I think in England they often have middle and high schools, and then 6 th form college.
Alison wrote: "Well in Scotland they are certainly called high schools. I think in England they often have middle and high schools, and then 6 th form college."Interesting, thanks.
And they are called high schools in Wales too, I think most of the old comprehensive schools have changed to high schools now (good old Americanisms).I read this book back in August as a friend recommended it to me. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found the amnesia angle was worked very well and a bit differently to other thrillers I have read. I thought the use of a diary format actually helped build the suspense and tension although the moments where Christine suddenly started doing some things automatically did spoil it for me a little.
Does that kind of thing actually happen? I understand that long term memory can come back suddenly but can the same happen with new suggestions like keeping her diary was? Personally I'm not convinced but I did still enjoy the book despite this.
I would be really interested to know if this kind of thing does actually happen - it seems to be something that fascinates people as there are also movies based on this premise (50 First Dates comes to mind).As someone who doesn't normally read "thrillers" (I'm with Lori, I value my sleep too much!) I found that the tension was too drawn out for me. I felt like I was pulled along at a really fast clip and I needed little respites, a slackening of that tension. I wanted to be able to settle into thinking, "Oh, it was XYZ that did it" for a while before the plot raced along again, making me think, "No, it was ABC....".
I have a sense that the most masterful thriller/suspense writers craft that more artfully.
Can anyone more familiar with this genre enlighten us?
There has been kind of a lull in the discussion so I'll throw out a new question here ...(SPOILER ALERT! stop reading now if you haven't finished the book!)The whole "twist" of the plot hinges on the affair that Christine was having years ago. Given what we know about Christine (now), does that seem plausible? Does that read as consistent with the Christine we know today?
I've found that I have to put the book aside for a while. I read almost the whole book but got to a spot where I didn't want to go back to it. I'll leave it alone for a week or 2.
Karen wrote: "I agree with Kate and Alison about Christine remembering things that she shouldn't remember. It took away from the enjoyment of the book. I started looking for little glitches like that."Me too.
The whole premise of this book brings up the nature/nurture controversy. Are we born the way we are, or are we the products of our upbringing? I believe there is a combination of both thoughts. If our behavior/character/temperament were solely the basis of our upbringing, every child of the same parents would be alike. We know that is not true. If we were born a specific way, no one would be able to learn and change (even if some of us don't). So, it is difficult to say how much of present day Christine is the same as the past Christine, when so many memories, events and life lessons have been wiped away. Is she the raw Christine, with what she was born with, but with no life experiences to fully develop her; or does she retain some elements of her life lessons deep within her, even though she could not actually remember them? As to whether her affair was in keeping with her present personality, we don't know if she was happy in her marriage (even though her husband was a nice guy); what her upbringing formed of her attitude toward fidelity in marriage; or what changes her free lifestyle as a young adult had on her attitude toward marriage. The book raises a lot of questions that are very difficult to answer.
People with head injuries can often experience severe peronality changes.
Susan wrote: "The whole premise of this book brings up the nature/nurture controversy. Are we born the way we are, or are we the products of our upbringing? I believe there is a combination of both thoughts. ..."Love this feedback Susan. You brought up a lot of points I hadn't considered before. Thanks.
Full disclosure, listened to the audio version of this book not the hard copy. I was 92 on the holds list for my local library. With that said, the narration of the book was excellent. This is not always the case. When thinking about the question Kate asked. I felt we really never knew who was the "real" Christine and this was part of the mystery. At times I felt that when Christine was journaling and learning about the "old" Christine she didn't like what she saw or was more surprised by what she saw. Then later I felt that she had accepted the different aspects of her life. Not sure if this makes sense to others but for me I felt she was at peace at the end not just because of her memories but accepting who she was.
I agree with Heather on this one, I don't think we as readers can judge one way or another as, like Christine herself, we don't really know enough about her previous self to say whether it fits or not and this is part of the mystery. I enjoyed how Christine's journey of self discovery clashes with what her 'husband' tells her as the story progresses and it is these contradictions that help in building the suspense in the story.
I reserved this when the library first recieved it.. and I was 48th on the list. I've since recieved and read it. I really liked it. I hope you all love it! I will be back to discuss when some people have read it :)
Lisa, I think everyone here has read it except maybe Lori (who may have finished by now). Please feel free to jump in with thoughts, etc as I know from my past experience sometimes I have read a book and just lurk in the discussion until or unless something comes up that I want to speak to or gives me an idea about something to comment on. What did you like about the book? Is this more of a normal read for you or was this something different?
New question:I'm really interested in the point that Susan brought up about Nature vs. Nurture and then Alison's comment about how people with head trauma can really change. To some extent (we can disagree about how much of an extent) the things that happen to us (nurture) shape who we are. So what about things that we don't remember? Is that effectively like the thing never happening?
I was thinking about "important" things that have happened to me - things or events I think have shaped who I am to some extent and wondering if I'd be different, and in what way(s) if they had still happened to me but I didn't remember them happening.
Another new question:What about Dr. Nash? What were your thoughts/feelings about him? His relationship to Christine did not seem very professional a lot of the time. What is his motivation? What are his feelings towards Christine? Are they entirely professional? He says he's helping her write up her case but he does admit to writing them up for himself as well.
It wasn't the kind of book I would pick up on my own, but working at the library, I sometimes pick up books that are popular.I thought the book was unusual (I guessed the twist, which was a little disappointing) but I loved that it was so realistic. How easy it is to trick the mind.
Kate wrote: "Another new question:What about Dr. Nash? What were your thoughts/feelings about him? His relationship to Christine did not seem very professional a lot of the time. What is his motivation? W..."
Excellent question, Kate. The character of Dr. Nash disturbed me because I did not see his sneaking around as being professional. At many points I saw him as being very sinister. Of course, we can only see him through Christine's very limited viewpoint, so that creates a problem for the reader.
Dr Nash's sneaky lack of professionalism was another thing which made the book less believable for me - although it adds to the tension as your not sure if he's good or bad.
Not being a savvy "thriller" reader, I actually couldn't figure out if it was actually Dr. Nash who was the "bad guy" for at least 2/3 of the book. The whole sexual tension thing with him kind of bugged me too - why was that in there?
Kate wrote: "Not being a savvy "thriller" reader, I actually couldn't figure out if it was actually Dr. Nash who was the "bad guy" for at least 2/3 of the book. The whole sexual tension thing with him kind of..."
Red herring.
Last question: Would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not? And, if yes, who would you recommend it to? (i.e. what kind of reader?)
Sorry, meant to do a "second to last" question before that one. Did you like the ending? Do you think Christine will remember what happened tomorrow? Or what do you think tomorrow has in store for Christine?
Susan wrote: "Kate wrote: "Another new question:What about Dr. Nash? What were your thoughts/feelings about him? His relationship to Christine did not seem very professional a lot of the time. What is his m..."
At times I thought Dr. Nash was creepy and unprofessional. I went back and forth with him thinking how great he was to be helping her to wondering if he really was helping her or creating her "memories". In the end I felt he did help her but was mainly about his own personal and professional gain.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
The Language of Flowers (other topics)Before I Go to Sleep (other topics)
Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?
An original, haunting, and deeply chilling debut.
Before I Go to Sleep is our October read. Any thoughts? Be careful of spoilers. Save those for October's discussion.