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  • Before I Go To Sleep

  • By: S J Watson
  • Narrated by: Susannah Harker
  • Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (2,678 ratings)
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Before I Go To Sleep cover art

Before I Go To Sleep

By: S J Watson
Narrated by: Susannah Harker
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Summary

Winner of CWA Best unabridged Crime Audiobook 2012.

Winner – CRIME THRILLER OF THE YEAR – BRITISH BOOK AWARDS

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.

©2011 S J Watson (P)2011 Random House Audio Go

Critic reviews

“Quite simply the best debut novel I've ever read.” (Tess Gerritsen)
“Brilliant in its pacing, profound in its central question, suspenseful on every page - and satisfying in its thriller ending.” (Anita Shreve)
“A deft, perceptive exploration of a fascinating neurological condition, and a cracking good thriller.” (Lionel Shriver)
“A terrific first novel - well-written, genuinely unsettling and psychologically very plausible. Thrillers seldom come much better than this. Loved it, read it in one.” (Joanne Harris)
“An exceptional thriller. It left my nerves jangling for hours after I finished the last page.” (Dennis Lehane)
“So high-concept, so ambitious and so structurally brilliant. It's so rare to read a thriller that's perfect in every detail, but this one definitely qualifies!” (Sophie Hannah)
“A deeply unsettling debut that asks the most terrifying question - what do you have left when you lose yourself?” (Val McDermid)
“A truly amazing debut. The central character, Christine, is beautifully drawn. It's hard to imagine a more compelling, believable and sympathetic portrayal of a damaged human being. I loved it from start to finish.” (Mo Hayder)

What listeners say about Before I Go To Sleep

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Performance
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  • 2 Stars
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This will keep you awake!

Set aside a whole day to listen to this one because once you start you won't be able to drag yourself away.Christine suffers from a devastating form of amnesia which has resulted in her being unable to access old memories or make new ones. Every day is a new beginning for her until she begins to keep a daily journal to help her to fill in the blanks. Her husband feeds her information but can she trust him....? The narrator perfectly conveys Christine's confusion. fear and paranoia. There are holes in the back story but no let up in the tension which, at times is unbearable.

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41 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A book of two parts: brilliant, yet disappointing

The first two-thirds of this debut novel are the most compelling, page-turning, nail-biting pieces of fiction I've ever encountered. To wake up every morning with no memory of the recent past is at once tragic and haunting, yet this account is also tinged with foreboding. Chrissie is a sympathetic character, and it's easy to identify with her. Who can she trust? Who IS she? Are we the sum of our memories?

This is a psychological thriller that deals with themes of identity, personal loss, betrayal and memory. I simply couldn't stop listening (a 5-hour marathon listen over the ironing!)... until I got about two-thirds of the way through. Then it started to feel laboured and overdone. Things didn't add up. Other things were too convenient to the plot to be truly plausible. One of the female characters was less-than-convincing. And the ending was ultimately under-whelming and disappointing.

I will definitely read SJ Watson's work in the future, and I think he's probably 'one to watch', but hopefully an editor will keep a slightly firmer hand on the steering next time.

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An extraordinary stream of consciousness

Form the very start I was gripped by this unnerving and unusual book. All the more impressive as it is the author's first novel. All the time one is not sure what is really the truth about the main character's plight. The reader is excellent and the ending surprising. Highly recommended.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A twisted tale of deception too good to miss!!!

This is a very enticing book from the very first
paragraph. The story unfolds and you will be
listening to the narrator a woman who is telling you
her story. This is the story of a woman who has lost
her life after losing her memory and the path she
follows to find out who she actually is and what
happened to her. The plot twists and turns to weave
a story that is as intricate as it is deceptive.
This is a very well-crafted story which is well
narrated and exceptionally well executed a riveting
listen to the very unpredictable end. An absolute
must for audible listeners!

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb Suspense

This book was great; I literally couldn't put down my iPod until I finished it. The suspense is superbly built to the point where you find yourself sitting on the edge of your chair without realising it. I spent the whole time trying to figure out what was going on and the author excellently plants several scenarios in the background that keep you guessing. Also five stars for the narrator who does a fantastic job of capturing the panic of someone who wakes up every day without a clue of what's happened or how she got there. Fantastic, definitely worth a listen.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

average

the pacing was far too slow, and i know the main character forgets things, but my god it was so repetitive. everything was explained over n over again... we get it, shes got amnesia

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Slow plotting let's thriller down

The reviews for this book were very good, not just audible listeners,  but also national newspapers.  This meant I had high expectations.  It starts well but over time  the lack of pace started to grate.  The writing wasn't good enough to make the main character interesting in her own right, and the plot revelations came too slowly.  I found myself speeding first to x1.5 and finally x2, which isn't a good sign.  The book finally builds some schlocky drama at the end, and I can see why Hollywood thinks it might make a good thriller.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Original idea but not well written

I was really looking forward to listening to this as the idea seemed so original but unfortunately the author did not have the skill to pull it off. The characters and relationships were flimsy and the ending was rather trite.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

wow hard to imagine life without a yesterday

wow hard to imagine life without remembering yesterday A great book, didn't want the story to end. It had so many twists and turns.
Extremely hard to put down

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What an amazing debut!

This is definitely one of my best Audible listens of all time. It kept me completely gripped throughout and kept me guessing through every suspenseful moment I was completely mesmerised and convinced by the narration. What a compelling, original, scary, unique listen.

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8 people found this helpful