Before I Go to Sleep
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The best thriller I read in years!
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Michael
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rated it 5 stars
Mar 09, 2012 12:24PM
Am I the only one that thoroughly this book? EXCEPTIONAL! I cannot get over that this is the first book by S.J Watson, it left me guessing what would happen next.
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I liked the way it was written but I did find myself up and down like a rolacoaster. I would be on the edge of my seat one minute wondering what would happen next and then would find myself breezing along with it. I think I went with her mood, when she was anxiuos I was anxious and when she was comfortable I was comfortable.I don't really read thrillers but I was very happy I picked it up. S.J Watson did a fab job!
I could not put it down! I thought it was original and brilliant. I plan on reading it again.
I love it when you find a book like that, it doesn't happen very often, so enjoy!
Is there really anyone who didn't know straight away that Adam (her son) was alive and the man she lived with was not her husband??
I didn't.
I didn't either to be honest. Was suss about Adam but he did cover his tracks well.
No I had no idea, that was one of the biggest twists.
i liked this book..but I have a mind that can figure out what is happening so I had this one pegged about 3/4 of the way thru..and I was right
Helen wrote: "Is there really anyone who didn't know straight away that Adam (her son) was alive and the man she lived with was not her husband??"No, I did't pick that up at all until close to the end. But then the first time I watched Sixth Sense I didn't realise Bruce Willis was dead until he did. Maybe I'm a bit slow!
In hindsight it probably is obviously. My husband always tries to work out 'who done it' when we watching films - personally I'd much rather just enjoy it as it unfolds and then look back and enjoy analysing how the plot progressed. Or maybe I'm just bit slow as well Julie!!
I really enjoyed this book, I have had a crazy few weeks but I have still managed to read this book. I needed to know what was happening I think the author did very well at keeping the reader confused through out the story and made me wonder how hard it must be for people who have to live with this sort of thing. Really well written for the first book, I also really liked the ending.
I loved this book as well and did not find it predictable at all. definitely will look for this author's next book.
Very well written for a first novel! I hope the author comes out with another one soon!
I found this a rollercoaster of a book. One minute I couldnt put it down and I HAD TO read the next page then a few chapters later I was struggling to carry on. Goods points: This was really easy to get into through and to be honest I did want to read to the end. Overall it was ok, wouldnt read it again and I would barely call it a thriller...
Helen wrote: "Is there really anyone who didn't know straight away that Adam (her son) was alive and the man she lived with was not her husband??"Well, throughout the book there are hints that this might be the case, and that other things are possibilities too, because we have no idea who to trust, and obviously the narrator is unreliable. To me that was the suspense - having all these possibilities, and knowing you can't know anything for certain because the narrator can't remember and has to work on trust.
I wondered about the doctor/researcher guy too - whether he was in on it. Especially when the narrator had a flashback of being attacked and associated it with the doctor's name. And the best friend - there were some hints that maybe she couldn't be trusted. The author was leaving a bunch of little clues/red herrings to make us doubt everything and everyone. I thought it was quite cleverly done.
To begin with I didn't even realise it was going to be a thriller - I thought it was going to be an exploration of what it's like for someone to try to piece together their identity after losing their memory - I kind of wish it had focused more on that, because it's a very interesting topic.
I noticed a lot of the same things, Gail. The author had fun with the concept of reliability.
A definite page turned I loved it.
I loved the whole concept of this book, but found it to be slow in parts, I wanted her to just find out what was going on. I did not know that her son was alive and that the man she was with was not her husband. The ending was very exciting.
I was hoping Adam (her son) was still alive but I didn't guess about her husband not being who she thought he was - despite all the clues. I get caught up in the story and am not usually trying to solve it earlier than when the author clues us in.I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will read more by this author.
I enjoyed the book, and I say that despite hating (HATING) present tense narrative. However, in this case it actually made sense, and the author's style is so engaging, I had no problem with it.
I hated the end there is nothing worse than to be left guessing.
I thought I would love this but I found it bordering on painful to read. I only finished it to confirm what I had figured out in the beginning. It started really strong, I loved the concept but it was badly executed. The story went along at too slow a pace for a crime thriller, there wasn't enough tension build up throughout. Also the characters were one dimensional, I didn't care about Christine at all. I also found it too repetitive. The ending seemed rushed, it took forever to go somewhere then all of a sudden it ended. The concept is there and it had good potential but in my eyes failed miserably. I would not recommend this to anyone.
A wonderful page-turner! Not so much a who-dunnit as pychological theatre. I thought that she tackles the essential daily repetition of events extremely well .....and with just the right amount of information added so that she cleverly keeps us engaged in the narrative. The tension she creates is superb - a sophisticated, often subtle but constantly engaging first novel.I don't know how she'll follow up this one!!
Jan wrote: "I don't know how she'll follow up this one"Interesting. SJ Watson is male - Steven. I didn't know until I googled him. I suspected it was a female author so he had me fooled too!
I thought it was well paced - I was lulled into thinking all was as it should be and only got suspicious at the same time as plot evolved.
I imagined that her "husband" was trying to protect her and had her best interests at heart. He must have been through so many upsetting days, when she learned anew that she had a son but he died, that it was for the best, for both of them, to just leave the past alone.
My suspicion was aroused by the fact that she was asking questions and his responses weren't particularly forthcoming.
I think the convincing aspect of the husband's behaviour was that he behaved fairly normally. He went to work every day and left her to it. It implied that she could be left to her own devices and, therefore, she wasn't in any danger.
I did try and solve her problem and couldn't help thinking that there must have been a way to remind herself of the journal - without having to rely on getting the call from Dr Nash.
I also thought that she could have done with a synopsis of her life to that point - to avoid having to wade through all the journal entries every day.
It seemed a bit remiss of Dr Nash to take the journal away to read it. He must have know how vital it was to her on a daily basis. He must also have known that it was a bit tricky to go behind her husband's back and to not come up with a method for Christine to remind herself of the journal.
The thing that made me realise how much I enjoyed this book was that I tried to read ahead to find out what was happening - I was very engaged.
The ending was a bit neat - it all just seem to get sorted as I recall - I didn't pay too much attention to the details. Perhaps I suspended my belief because I enjoyed the majority of the book.
Or maybe there's something wrong with my memory? :)
I loved this book too! I usually figure things out pretty quickly (except The Sixth Sense like a previous poster said) but I think I was so engrossed in Christine's condition that I didn't think about it right away. The whole time I was reading this book I couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like to have no memory...including when I wasn't reading it.The author definitely gave us more than one person to consider as well. I kept trying to figure out how Dr. Nash was involved and what was up w/ her long, lost friend.
I will definitely be reading more from this author. I can't wait until he publishes another novel.
For someone who usually reads YA/Paranormal etc I bought Before I go to Sleep on recommendation near its release but didn't know what to expect . . . the first few chapters were, not difficult, but it took some getting used to but there was a point at which I was hooked . . . I was reluctant to put the book down. I didn't guess the twists (or didn't want to!) and was thoroughly consumed by the plot . . .
I could not put it down! There were holes in it - of course,unbelievable that the husband and son would have abandoned her - maybe a stronger reason for nor having seen her for so long. But that did little to spoil my enjoyment. And the twist in the end - woweee. Just when i thought i was going to be disappointed, it really took off! I just love happy endings!
Michael wrote: "Am I the only one that thoroughly this book? EXCEPTIONAL! I cannot get over that this is the first book by S.J Watson, it left me guessing what would happen next."Michelle wrote: "I loved this book too! I usually figure things out pretty quickly (except The Sixth Sense like a previous poster said) but I think I was so engrossed in Christine's condition that I didn't think a..."
Michael wrote: "Am I the only one that thoroughly this book? EXCEPTIONAL! I cannot get over that this is the first book by S.J Watson, it left me guessing what would happen next."
I am looking forward to the next book he writes
Great book! Loved the way the perspective changes at every corner.
I really enjoyed this book, so well written and I was hooked totally all the way through. For a first book, amazing..
This was our first book for the waterstones book club last year. I told everyone about it and couldn't stop thinking about it. I thought it was well written and deserving of the awards and praise it has had heaped on it. I am looking at 'gone girl' and wondering if it might be in a similar vein. Has anyone read this book?
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