Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

The topic of amnesia has been done over and over again both in books and in movies. Probably because it is such an intriguing and frightening topic. In Before I Go to Sleep: A Novel, the main character, Christine has an amnesia that affected everything that occurred after an "accident." When she wakes up every morning, she still thinks she is in her 20's instead of the 47 that she actually is, she has no memory of the house that she is living in, or of her husband lying beside her in bed. As she rushes into the bathroom in a panic, she is confronted with a set of sticky notes arranged around the mirror. They tell her who she is, they remind her that she is married and that her husband's name is Ben.

Everyday Christine wakes up with no memory of the day before. Until she starts seeing Dr. Nash, who has her write in a journal, to see if it will help restore her memory. Then sometime during the day, Dr. Nash will call her, tell her who he is, and tell her where to find the journal. So, that now even though she wakes up a blank slate, she has a better idea of who she is. There is one disturbing thing about the notebook. Inside the front cover it says, "Do Not Trust Ben!" Christine must piece together the bits and pieces of her life from the journal. She must figure out what was her accident that left her memory damaged. Ben tells of an auto accident, but Christine has faint memories that suggest something much more sinister.

This book held my interest from beginning to end, hard to put down at times, even. Predictable, but with a few surprises thrown in.

4/5