Before I Go to Sleep

By: S. J. Watson

Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Christine wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man. She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar, middle-aged face. And every morning, the man she has woken up with must explain that he is Ben, he is her husband, she is 47 years old, and a terrible accident two decades earlier decimated her ability to form new memories.

But it’s the phone call from a Dr. Nash, a neurologist who claims to be working with Christine without her husband’s knowledge, that directs her to her journal, hidden in the back of her closet. For the past few weeks, Christine has been recording her daily activities - tearful mornings with Ben, sessions with Dr. Nash, flashes of scenes from her former life - and rereading past entries, relearning the facts of her life as retold by the husband she is completely dependent upon. As the entries build up, Christine asks many questions. What was life like before the accident? Why did she and Ben never have a child? What has happened to Christine’s best friend? And what exactly was the horrific accident that caused such a profound loss of memory?

Every day, Christine must begin again the reconstruction of her past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more unbelievable it seems.

©2011 S. J. Watson (P)2011 HarperAudio

Original

It is not often that a story keeps me wondering what's next, this did. Interesting and exciting, kept me guessing.

Different...

I just finished this book. I can honestly say I'm not sure if I liked it or not! I know I did not enjoy the narrator; I've listened to books wIth British narrators before and they were great. This one had an unpleasant accent though, putting emphasis on the wrong words in a sentence and making statements sound like questions. Was also not much variety in intonation.

The ending left me wanting, as well.

The story itself was quite good though. I enjoyed it quite a lot and often found myself not wanting to turn it off. Maybe it is one you are better off reading, not listening to.

mj NM

An interesting book, with twists and turns. Kudos to the author to write such a complex plot where all of the story is through the mind of the main character. I recommend it as a good listen.

Like watching paint dry

You could easily listen to the first couple of chapters and the last couple of chapters, skip the whole middle and not miss a thing. The author hooked me from the start but then only fed me a drop of information every hour or so. Very slow to build a weak plot that was in place and predictable from the first chapter. Lots of repetition and very little substance. Unlike others, I did not find the narrator to be a problem, I thought she did a pretty good job. Overall the book was just O.K. Not sure what the hype is all about?

The dark side of "Fifty First Dates".

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes for a fun read when you want to get away from socially significant serious reading this is your book. Suspense, mystery and a good read. Interesting that the author is male and the protagonist a woman.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The language took a bit of a jarring "male" flavour every so often. Also there was a bit of "a man posing as a woman" showing through a bit. He perhaps should have had a few female friends or relations read it more carefully.

What does Orlagh Cassidy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator is the voice for the character. She slips seamlessly into the character so that you could not imagine the voice could be any different.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Trust nothing - not even your dreams.

Very clever...

This was one of the best suspense type books I think I've ever read! Just when I was convinced that I knew what was going on, something swayed me back in another direction. This one truly kept me guessing. Great writing, great story, and the perfect narrator for the main character.

Suspenseful

Great story! Keep me guessing the whole way. The pressure builds wonderfuly. you never know who to trust. Get it.!! Great summer read!!

Good Yarn, but Distracting Narration

Love the book, but the narration is very distracting: the British accent is off, particularly the vowels. It seems like an American version of a British accent.

Intriguing and enticing

I put myself into the story and tension built very strongly.Even when not reading. Driving, working, dining...it was in my thoughts. Fantastic

Well worth the credit

I had read other reviews of this novel before purchasing and so was looking forward to a taut psychological thriller/ I wasn't disappointed, but the only reason for 4 stars instead of five is that the thriller part took quite a while to play out. The premise is unsettling: a woman has a rare form of amnesia that means she wakes up each morning not knowing who she is and remembering nothing of her past. I wasn't sure how the author would be able to play that out, but she uses the device of having the character start keeping a journal, so the reader's memories can start to accumulate even if the character's do not. Knowing that this was a psychological thriller, or would eventually turn into one, I didn't fully trust any of the characters, but when the twist came it was played out very well. I think it is well worth a credit.