Before I Go To Sleep - S.J. Watson

Before I Go To Sleep, what a surprise!  

I picked this book up for $1 at my local library's "books for sale" shelf.  I had not heard of this book previously and didn't realize it was such a recent book.  It was published in June 2011 in the US.

The book is a psychological thriller about a woman, Christine, who suffers from amnesia and wakes up every day not knowing who she is.  She looks at the unfamiliar man in bed next to her; goes to the bathroom and sees an unfamiliar woman in the mirror.   There are photos plastered all over the bathroom and they look like her and the man she woke up next to.  Every morning the man in bed, Ben, must explain to her that he is her husband and that's she's had an accident more than 20 years ago.

This repeats itself every day; Christine waking up not knowing why she's in bed with a stranger and Ben explaining that he's her husband. 

But a phone call from a Dr. Ed Nash, a neurologist claiming to be working with Christine, directs her to a black journal hidden in the closet, changes her life.  The first entry in the journal reads, 'Do not trust Ben'.   Christine's journal becomes her life line and slowly pieces of memories return.

This book is addictive.  I couldn't put it down. I went to bed wanting to read more and woke up thinking, I have to finish the book. 

Before I Go To Sleep is S.J. Watson's debut book, and is amazingly written. 

The book was not without flaws, and the end of the books seems a bit rushed.  I think the end could have been a few chapters longer. 

This is a fast read; my daughter is on her last few chapters and she started reading this book yesterday.  

So, don't start reading this book at bedtime as you're guaranteed to lose sleep.