Book review: Before I go to sleep by S. J. Watson.

Hey folks.

This is my first review. There are some books that I enjoy reading and then there are others that I really enjoy reading. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon falls in the latter category. So does the book I read recently. This tome is called Before I go to sleep by S. J. Watson. It is a brilliant book which makes you think as well as root for the protagonist.

A close friend of mine recommended the book to me and when I finally got to read it I was intrigued. It is about a woman called Christine Lucas who loses her memory and every time she wakes up her memory is wiped out. I like that it is told in the first person as it makes the readers empathise as well as sympathise with her. She sees a doctor who advises her to write a journal to help her remember things. The majority of the book is written in the form of Christine's journal which makes the book very exciting. What makes the book interesting is that Christine is regarded as an unreliable narrator as the reader is unsure whether the events that Christine reveals are real or imagined. The story is a mystery which keeps the reader guessing as to what really happened to Christine and at times I found the book difficult to put down. This is a great debut by S. J. Watson and I am looking forward to seeing the film adaptation.

We take memories for granted sometimes. They allow us to keep our identity. They are also a key to our past. A lot of things such as photos, diaries and even other people help us to remember what happened to us and what we did previously. Even random objects such as gifts can trigger off a memory. I really like the book because it makes the reader know how the protagonist feels when she loses her memory. We experience the frustration she feels in trying to put the pieces of her past together with great difficulty. We are also left to wonder whether what Christine is told is actually true. I would definitely recommend this book.

Until next time, adios.

Comments

  1. Abena Sɛwaa15 June 2014 at 04:06

    such a great book got me captivated. I couldnt put it down and I didnt expect the twist at the end!

    ReplyDelete

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