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Summary and Reviews of Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Before I Go To Sleep

A Novel

by S.J. Watson
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  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (9):
  • First Published:
  • Jun 14, 2011, 368 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Feb 2012, 368 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Welcome to Christine's life.

S. J. Watson makes his debut with this fast-paced psychological thriller, reminiscent of Shutter Island and Memento.

A terrible accident has robbed Christine of her memories. She cannot remember the past - or even yesterday. Determined to discover who she is, she has begun keeping a journal before she goes to sleep. Before she can forget again.

But the truth may be more terrifying - and deadlier - than she bargained for...

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Reviews

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I'll be honest - Before I Go to Sleep wasn't what I was expecting when I agreed to review the book. So many recent novels have been dubbed "psychological thrillers" that the term's meaning has perhaps become watered down, leaning more toward "thriller" than "psychological." I suppose I was expecting a good but not great page-turner that would entertain but otherwise have little depth. What I found instead was an exceptionally well-crafted novel of slowly building suspense - a "thinking woman's" thriller, if you will...continued

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(Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).

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Beyond the Book



Amnesia

Amnesia, also known as "amnestic syndrome," refers to a person's inability to retrieve memories or pieces of information from the brain and occurs when the areas of the brain responsible for recovering stored information become compromised by physical or psychological damage.

The limbic system Several structures located deep within the brain, such as the hippocampus (responsible for the formation and storage of memories) and the thalamus (involved in the regulation of sensory perception), comprise the limbic system, a complex network that controls our emotional responses, survival instincts, memory creation, and memory retrieval. Amnesia can be caused by physical or psychological trauma to these structures, brought on by diseases such as Alzheimer's, ...

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