Before I go to Sleep: S.J. Watson

Before I go to Sleep: S. J. Watson

Blurb

 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 only be telling you half the story.

Welcome to Christine's life.

I read this book for two reasons 1. my partner read it and wanted to discuss it with me and 2. I didn't like the idea of him reading a book that I hadn't read! (snobbish?)

From reading the blurb I got the impression that the story would be a bit '50 First Dates'. Because of this, I didn't have high hopes for this book but I actually loved it!

The storyline held my attention throughout and I always wanted to read more, it was a complete page turner. 

The main character, Christine, is an extremely likeable character and, even though I could never even imagine what it is like to suffer such awful and extreme memory loss, I found her very easy to identify with. She is presented as an incredibly charismatic and attractive character. Watson writes so well that almost all of the characters are easy to identify with in some respects and we follow the emotions of the characters easily.

Watson's characterisation is so good that throughout the novel we feel a range emotions towards Christine's husband, Ben. My reactions and feelings towards him varied from one extreme to the other at different parts in the book. Sometimes I was compelled by his love and devotion - he made me smile and his devotion touched my heart. At other times I disliked him and didn't trust him. The ability to create such strong opinions about a character is the mark of a very good writer. 

The book has a surprising twist which I actually worked out right at the beginning of the novel but a series of events completely changed my mind and by the end of the book I ad no idea what the twist would be. I couldn't read this book fast enough. 

I have heard lots of criticism about this book: mainly that it has a limited and repetitive story line. Of course it is repetitive....it is written from the point of view of a person with amnesia! I have to agree that due to the amnesia aspect the storyline is limited...but I think that Watson makes the most of this and turns what has the potential to be an incredibly dull, repetitive storyline into a thrilling and heart touching novel. Despite the repetitiveness it still leaves you wondering what the future holds for Christine...it draws you in and is believable. My only criticism is not towards the book but towards the film which is in the pipe line. I just don't think that a film will be able to do the book justice...but then I have never been a fan of film adaptations.

Overall, this is an amazing début novel by S. J. Watson and I would highly recommend it to anybody looking for a good read.

8/10