Before I Go to Sleep
by
S. J. WATSON
Narrator: Orlagh CASSIDY
Audiobook: 11:32 hours
Published by Harper Audio in September 2011
***
This book counts for
MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS BOOK
This is really unusual, but I found this book because I follow a fantastic narrator: Orlagh Cassidy. I enjoyed so much her narration of the Postmistress, that I now keep an eye on her other audiobooks. This one sounded intriguing. There was unfortunately a bug in the request system at my library, so I had to wait longer than expected, but that was worth the wait.
I enjoyed this book very much. It starts slowly: something happened to Christine, and her memory is damaged. Consequently, she cannot remember anything of her past, not even of what she did the day before. When she goes to sleep, all her previous memories are erased, unless she writes things down in her journal.
Little by little, the story picks on interesting twists and turns, and becomes full of suspense. And once you think you figured out what happened, well you are dead wrong at the next turn!
That was a great thriller, on a gentle tone, I mean, not bloody horrific, but a psychological thriller.
As usual, Orlagh Cassidy had the perfect tones of voice to translate Christine’s pain as she struggles to recover her past, and to have you suspended waiting for the truth to get revealed. Believe me, it is not what you first expected it would be. A great fun read. I hope Watson will soon write more.
12/8/21 update:
Watson has written at least another book since this one, but the synopsis didn’t grab me, and I was afraid it would be much less good than this one, so I haven’t tried it yet. Have you?
WHAT IS IT ABOUT
‘As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I’m still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me …’ 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 only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine’s life. [Goodreads]
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S J Watson was born in the Midlands, lives in London and worked in the NHS for a number of years.
In 2009 Watson was accepted into the first Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ Course, a programme that covers all aspects of the novel-writing process. Before I Go to Sleep is the result.
Now sold in over 30 languages around the world, Before I Go To Sleep has been also been acquired for film by Ridley Scott’s production company, Scott Free, with Rowan Joffe to direct. Filming is scheduled to begin in 2011. [Goodreads]
HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK YET?
DO YOU FEEL LIKE READING THIS BOOK?
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN A COMMENT PLEASE
Words And Peace 
Fantastic! I am always looking for my next audio!
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Yes, you should really enjoy this one. In case you need more audiobooks ideas, you can check my Audiobook categories, in the right menu. And also do you know about http://www.audiobookjukebox.com/? you can even receive new audiobooks for free to review. Just got ‘There But For The’ from them. awesome site
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A great reader is important!
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Yes, it makes a whole difference in the world, and it has to match. For instance, you may have seen my review of The Night Circus. Jim Dale is supposed to be really good, but I thought his voice did not much at all for that book, and that’s part of why I did not like it too much
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Thank you for checking out my review… this book was amazing. I have never listened to an audio book before, but I can imagine that the right voice is important, particularly in a book such as this one. I’m sure I’ll get turned on to the greatness in audio books someday!
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I remember these days when I thought an audiobook was not a “real book”. I hope you can try soon, it’s an amazing experience, they usually choose fantastic narrators. The neat thing with audiobooks is that you can listen to them while doing something else: exercising, washing the dishes, cooking, ironing, etc. I’m also an artist and listen a lot to them while I paint. Conclusion: you can swallow many more books thanks to audiobooks, LOL!
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I don’t really listen to audio books, but I can see how this may have been a bit more engaging in that format. Great review.
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You know, it took me ages to accept to listen to audiobooks, and then I discovered they were amazing, with fantastic narrators, [I’ve had so far only 1 experience where I did not think the narrator was the appropriate choice for the book], and through my extensive reading, I’m discovering that some books are actually better as audiobooks. I would think this is particularly true for mysteries – I’ve listened to several recently, and the audiobook format was perfect and adding to the suspense. Maybe you should try some Winspear!
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I read this book – rather than listened to it – and thought it was great. I was very tempted to turn to the ending to see what happened but fortunately didn’t
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Same here, I enjoyed it a lot. The audio prevents you from going ahead, that’s an advantage, lol!
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