A stylish, gripping and surprising thriller, which is now a film starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth. Christine suffers from a strange amnesia which means that each day starts afresh with no memories of the one before. Cared for by her husband and overseen by her doctor, it soon becomes clear that all isn’t necessarily as it should be. One of the most exciting and satisfying reads of the decade, taut and sinister this will have you staying up all night to finish it. ~ Sarah Broadhurst
January 2012 Book of the Month.
Shortlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2012.
Voted the TV Book Club Best Read 2012.
Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 22 March 2012.
Featured on The TV Book Club on More4 on 29 January 2012.
Winner of the Galaxy Crime & Thriller of the Year 2011.
Shortlisted for the Galaxy New Writer of the Year 2011.
Winner of the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger 2011.
Shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2011.
How would you live your life if everytime you fell asleep you forgot everything? This is the idea behind this sensational debut literary thriller...
With awesome advanced quotes from other bestselling authors ranging from Tess Gerritsen - 'the best debut I've ever read', Anita Shreve - 'suspenseful on every page', Joanne Harris - 'thrillers seldom come much better than this' and Lionel Shriver - 'deft, perceptive...a cracking good thriller' I suspect whatever we say may well not form part of your decision on whether to read this debut or not. But if you do also want our guidance then don't even spend time reading the extract or watching the video clip below on our site. It's so good we suggest you just go ahead and buy it!
CWA Judges’ comments: ‘Beautifully realised and enticingly stylised – really gripping and scary. Accomplished and highly effective debut.’
'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.
'Quite simply the best debut 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' 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
Author
About S. J. Watson
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.