Review | Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson

Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson
Published by: Black Swan
Published on: August 14, 2014 (reissued)
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 372
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★½

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Memories define us. 
So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love—all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may be telling you only half the story. 
Welcome to Christine's life.

Christine Lucas wakes up every morning with no idea where she is and with no memories of her past. She must rely on her husband, Ben, telling her everything she needs to know. However, when Christine begins to keep a journal, she discovers that Ben may not be telling her the full story.

I think the concept of this book is great. The idea of a woman who looses her memories as she sleeps, relying on her husband to tell her everything, is a really great idea. I do think SJ Watson did a good job with this concept but I feel like it could have been done a little better.

I enjoyed the mystery of the book. For the very beginning I was drawn in and intrigued by Christine’s story and the mystery that surrounded what happened to her. I enjoyed discovering the pieces of her life as she was discovering them and attempting to piece the parts of the story together. It definitely kept you guessing what had happened and what would happen next.

I found it to be a little repetitive at parts. Obviously since Christine is starting afresh each day it is bound to be a bit repetitive sometimes. However, I did think it was a little too repetitive at some parts, which did make those parts of the book drag slightly for me.

Some parts were a little unrealistic. There were certain things happening throughout the book that were not very believable to me. It is hard to give examples without giving away spoilers but I did find myself questioning some things.

I had trouble connecting with the characters. The book seemed a bit more focussed on the mystery than the characters, in my opinion. I found myself more concerned with the mystery of the book and only really felt any connection to the characters at a few moments in the book.

I managed to guess the plot twist. I always hate when I manage to guess the major plot twist in a mystery and I did manage to in this case. I did like the ending but I feel as though it lost the impact it could have had since I did have some idea of what was coming.

Overall, I liked this book and the concept behind it but it could have been executed better, though I did enjoy SJ Watson’s writing style. The mystery was the strong point of the book but I could have done with a bit more focus on the characters. It may just be difficult to connect to someone who does not really know who she is.