What’s this? Another blog post? Three in one day? My goodness, it sure is feast or famine here at the lair lately, eh?

Sadly, even with this post, I’m still not finished catching up with my recent BookBin reads. Still haven’t caught up with other posts either…time slips away so quickly lately.

But this has nothing to do with why we’re really here, now does it? And what’s the reason for this latest meeting? To discuss S.J. Watson’s Before I Go To Sleep.

First, I’m doing a rather embarrassing job yet again of trying to stick mainly to books from my own book collection. This is another find that I picked up from the library. How could I resist though? The dust jacket description listed this as “Like Memento on meth.”

I love Memento. No, I don’t also love meth. However, any description that calls upon a Christopher Nolan movie that I actually really like already piques my interest. That being said, I was also slightly reticent in my excitement, considering the last time I allowed myself to be swayed by dust jacket comments.

I’m pleased to say that this novel came much closer to living up to its description than the other novel did. I don’t necessarily agree that it’s a more amped-up version of Memento (I’m assuming that was the implication of the drug reference? What the hell do I know about meth though?). I don’t even completely agree with the comparison beyond overarching similarities. Both have protagonists who suffer from bizarre forms of amnesia in which they are unable to form any new memories.

For Watson’s protagonist, Christine Lucas, her form of amnesia is such that she can form new memories throughout the day, but the moment she falls into deep sleep, everything is lost. Fragments might resurface, but each morning is a frightening state of tabula rasa in which she must be refreshed on everything that is her life now…who her husband is, where they live, what he does, what happened to cause her to lose her memory…it’s rather tiring to consider, really. Imagine having to re-learn everything about yourself each morning, waking up thinking that you’re still in your 20s (Christine’s early memories are the only ones that survive her nightly reboot) only to realize that you’re actually almost 50 and trapped in this hellish mental purgatory.

Of course, this can’t be the only thing going on with this story, with a description like the one that hooked me into picking this up in the first place. Where’s the meth? Well, things don’t seem quite right…even beyond the obvious things. It’s kind of complicated to delve into in a short synopsis, and really, it’s not something that I actually want to get into because I don’t want to spoil anything. Let’s just say that while you might not want a “Remember Sammy Jankis” tattoo, you definitely might want to start writing things down. That might help, because something’s definitely rotten in Denmark.

I will also say this: The layering and complexity of this novel are quite brilliant, especially considering that this is Watson’s first time at the rodeo (oh, there’s something so delightful about mixing British and American slang). While I wouldn’t recommend this novel to everyone (especially those of you who hated Memento, shocked though I remain whenever I encounter someone who doesn’t think it’s wonderful), I do think that it’s a definite for people who enjoy a good psychological thriller.

That being said, I do warn that there are several aspects of the plot that, if thought about too hard, make the entire novel unravel right before your eyes. It’s difficult for me to silence the overly analytical part of my brain, so this happened for me a few times. However, it wasn’t enough to cause me to dislike the book. I think that Watson did a remarkable job of taking this concept and making it uniquely his own. There are just some aspects of the story itself that are intrinsically flawed, both with this and with Memento. If you are able to overlook those flaws, however, I think that Watson’s debut novel is something you could enjoy.

I just read on Wikipedia that Ridley Scott has bought the film rights to this book. I approve of that. I also just read that Nicole Kidman is tentatively being considered for the role of Christine Lucas.

Sigh. Not exactly who I envisioned playing Christine. I think that should be left to an actress whose face still actually has the ability to show a wider range of emotion beyond “Botox” and “Botox.”

/ snark

Final Verdict: As much as I enjoyed this novel once I silenced the nitpicker portion of my brain, I don’t think I would want to add this to my collection. I do think I might want to borrow it from the library for another read, now that I know the ending. It’s definitely one of those books that will reveal more to you once you know how it all wraps up. However, I do think that two, maybe three reads is enough for this one. Of course, this is coming from someone who has seen Memento many more times than three. Would it be bad form to say that I just can’t remember how it ends? 😉