Before I go to read: “Before I go to sleep” by S.J. Watson

“What are we, if not an accumulation of our memories?”

Basic information

Regarding the author

The writer of “Before I go to sleep” is S.J. Watson, a physicist from England. Specifically, Watson was born in 1971 in Worcestershire (now otherwise called West Midlands). He completed his studies at the University of Birmingham. The habitude of writing came to him through the spare time he had in the evenings of the weekends, in which he chose to write fiction-related pieces.

Regarding the book

The book, a piece of contemporary literature, was released in 2009 but published in the USA in June 2011 by Harper Collins Publishers. It belongs to the genres of psychological thriller, mystery and of course, fiction.

Regarding the author’s historical period

S.J. Watson was born in 1971. Therefore, he belongs to the historical period of the well-known seventies.

The seventies were one of the hardest decades both politically and economically for England. The post war affluence that allowed the country to be fully complacent led to a complete degradation of the global influence that they had due to the severe competitive spirits that developed at the time.

In 1970, Edward Heath came to power promising a “quiet revolution” that would turn around the fortunes of Great Britain. However, a lethal combination of an energy crisis, a financial crash and a second miners’ strike showed up in two years. Furthermore, Harold Wilson re-organized the country, with the cost of inflation at almost 30% and a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. The decade ended with another prime minister being exposed by the unions in the Winter of Discontent, though this time the victim was the veteran Labor bruiser Jim Callaghan. Never before had the political establishment seemed so impotent. For the first time in years, emigrants actually outnumbered immigrants.

“Our place in the world is shrinking: our economic comparisons grow worse, long-term political influence depends on economic strength – and that is running out. If I were a young man, I should emigrate”

 –James Callaghan

A brief narration of the plot

The story revolves around one main character; Christine. What is abnormal about Christine is that she has a rare type of amnesia. Specifically, every morning, after going to sleep the day before, she has no memory of who she is. When she wakes up, most of her adulthood memories are erased from her memory. In other words, Christine is unable to retain any memories. In the meantime, helpless and desperate to understand her situation, she has no choice but to trust the only person left in her life. However, her insecurities peek through. As the days go by, she tries harder to make sense of what her life has become and how she ended up in this situation.

Analysis of the main characters

Christine: The protagonist

She has a rare type of amnesia; she cannot obtain new memories nor reform old ones. As a character, she has a very strong-willed personality, daring, brave. Also, throughout the whole book, she tries to remain logical but doesn’t ignore her instincts either. She is overall artistic with a talent in writing and has a tendency to romanticize life. She does feel depressed and guilty because of her condition. All in all, she is a very smart and complex character.

Ben: Christine’s husband

He loves Christine with his whole heart. He is hurt by the fact that his wife is unable to remember him but he is mature enough to handle the situation. He is not mentioned much in the book.

Adam: Christine’s son

Adam had a really close relationship with his mother up until she lost her memory. Then, it is unknown how their relationship developed but either way, he truly loved and cared for his mother. At the time the story is narrated, he is in his late twenties. Even though he has a very important role in Christine’s life, he is not shown off much in the text.

Mike: Christine’s old lover

Mike is a troubled character. He loved Christine very much, perhaps too much. He met the protagonist in a coffee shop and since then, he could not get his eyes off of her.

Claire: Christine’s long lost best friend

Claire and Christine became friends in the university. She studied art and aspired to be something big in her industry. In the end, she settled down with a husband and had her first and only son, Toby. She cares deeply about her friend even though Christine is unable to remember her.

Dr. Nash: Christine’s doctor

Dr. Nash is a young neuropsychologist. Throughout the whole book, he tries to help Christine and restore her memory with puzzles and experiments. In fact, he is writing a scientific paper on Christine’s case of amnesia. However, he becomes deeply attached with his patient.

Main themes of the book

The main theme of the book is the loss of memories. It describes the life of an amnesiac, waking up every day not knowing one thing about most of his past. Every day, the protagonist has to remember everything with the assistance of her roommate and doctor. Thus, she is completely depended on them.

In addition, the book talks about the struggles of marriage while showing the struggles of Christine and Ben without disregarding the difficulties of beginning a family with your partner in the late seventies. Another topic of the book is the management of love, relationships (romantic and non-romantic). Last but not least, the book mentions domestic violence in many sections such as one about a feminist march in the book -a nice touch from the writer that creates a small stigma of his era in his story-.

My impressions of the book

In my view, “Before I go to sleep” is a tremendous book that leaves you shivery. However, the ending is a bit predictable. Alas, that doesn’t disregard completely the book. The glossary that is used is simple with some unknown words, friendly to readers that aren’t much acquainted with English. In addition, the mystery is unraveled very well and although the clues are obvious to the reader, with a brilliant mixture of red herrings, the author manages to preserve the ending. All in all, it is a pleasant mystery book -with a sense of thriller into it- and reading it is time well-spent.

Μπεθάνη Ελένη Πρότυπο ΓΕΛ Ευαγγελικής Σχολής Σμύρνης