The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, there is a pumpkin on my porch and I’m eating my weight in caramel apple candy corn. This can only mean one thing, it’s October! I adore this month. Soon I’ll be pulling my snuggly sweaters out of their storage bins and decorating for Halloween. With all the wonderfully spooky fun we’re going to have in the next few weeks, it’s only fitting I should tell you about a fabulous new psychological thriller I stumbled upon last weekend,
Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson. No spoilers, I swear!
The ladies in my book club will be shocked I actually read an intense book on purpose. They’ll be the first to tell you I prefer my books with happy endings, mild strife and absolutely no harm to children or animals whatsoever! I’m delicate. AnyWHO, Before I Go To Sleep is the perfect late-night, pull-the-covers-up, whodunit kind of page-turner.
Imagine waking up every morning with no recollection of where you are, who you are or how you got that way. This is the life of Christine Lucas, an amnesiac who must be comforted and consoled each day before being told who she is by her longtime husband, Ben. After losing her memory in a mysterious accident, Christine finds solace in her own words written in a hidden journal. The journal entries, added after her husband departs for work, help keep her sane till she reads, “don’t trust Ben.” Christine, who already has a pretty loose grasp on reality, must piece together her life using fuzzy returning memories and the journal as a guide.
And that is ALL I will tell you because the rest is just soooo good.
In his debut novel, set in London, S. J. Watson has the extraordinary task of telling the same story each day while still keeping it entertaining. He skillfully stirs new information in to the story cauldron, letting the secrets and plot twists bubble like witches brew. Dang, I love a good holiday analogy.
Before I Go To Sleep will have you guessing right up to the last chapter where you will shout, “Shut UP” and promptly scare the cat off your lap. Okay, maybe that was just me.
