Fast paced, intriguing, and constantly keeping you on the edge of your seat, Before I Go to Sleep is a book that I started one morning and had finished the following afternoon. Though not an original concept (see: Memento, 50 First Dates), amnesia causing a person to forget the most recent parts of their life has always been one that is incredibly interesting to delve into. Before I Go to Sleep was no different.
The main character, Christine, wakes up every day not knowing where she is. In a twist on the way that 50 First Dates did this type of amnesia, Christine will occasionally remember different parts of her life. Some days she knows she’s married, some days she thinks she’s had a one night stand with a married man. This married man, of course, is her husband Ben. Told over more than half of the book as entries in Christine’s secret journal, we learn things about her life that no one sees coming, and prominent among these is the declaration on the first page, DON’T TRUST BEN.
From here we learn things about Christine’s life as she does, and perhaps the most interesting part of this book is that the only word we have on these events is Christine herself. So throughout there is always the factor of a possibly unreliable narrator, which adds to the depth of the book.
I enjoyed Before I Go to Sleep immensely. It has been touted as one of the must-reads of the summer, and did not disappoint. The only complaint I can think of is that there were portions of the book that drug along a little bit, but I think that was really only a result of my high expectations. I will certainly read this book again, especially now that I know how it ends, and all of the secrets that it holds. Another solid 4.
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