Before I Go to Sleep

A New York Times Bestseller

A promising writer makes his debut with this disturbing psychological thriller, reminiscent of Shutter Island and Memento, in which an amnesiac desperately tries to uncover the truth about who she is-and who she can trust

"The best debut novel I've ever read." -Tess Gerritsen

"An exceptional thriller. It left my nerves jangling for hours after I finished the last page." -Dennis Lehane

Every morning, Christine awakens beside a stranger in an unfamiliar bed. She sees a middle-aged face in the bathroom mirror that she does not recognize. And every morning, the man patiently explains that he is Ben, her husband, that she is forty-seven-years-old, and that an accident long ago damaged her ability to remember.
In place of memories Christine has a handful of pictures, a whiteboard in the kitchen, and a journal, hidden in a closet. She knows about the journal because Dr. Ed Nash, a neurologist who claims to be treating her without Ben's knowledge, reminds her about it each day. Inside its pages, the damaged woman has begun meticulously recording her daily events-sessions with Dr. Nash, snippets of information that Ben shares, flashes of her former self that briefly, miraculously appear.
But as the pages accumulate, inconsistencies begin to emerge, raising disturbing questions that Christine is determined to find answers to. And the more she pieces together the shards of her broken life, the closer she gets to the truth . . . and the more terrifying and deadly it is.

Born and educated in the U.K., S. J. Watson was born in the Midlands, lives in London, and worked in the National Health Service for a number of years. In 2008 Watson was accepted into the first Faber Academy "Writing a Novel" Course, a rigorous and selective program that covers all aspects of the novel-writing process. Before I Go to Sleep is the result.

"A deft, perceptive exploration of a fascinating neurological condition, and a cracking good thriller."
"An exceptional thriller. It left my nerves jangling for hours after I finished the last page."
"An intriguingly fresh look at the amnesia-focused psychological thriller. . . . A captivating and highly suspenseful read, populated with believable characters who lead the reader through a taut, well-constructed plot."
"Brilliant in its pacing, profound in its central question, suspenseful on every page and satisfying in its thriller ending."
"Imagine drifting off every night knowing that your memories will be wiped away by morning. That's the fate of Christine Lucas, whose bewildering internal world is rendered with chilling intimacy in this debut literary thriller. . . . You'll stay up late reading until you know."
"Memories-real, false, and a bit of both-are at the heart of Watson's haunting, twisted debut…. Watson handles what could have turned into a cheap narrative gimmick brilliantly, building to a chillingly unexpected climax."
"Quite simply the best debut novel I have ever read."
"The summer's single most suspenseful plot belongs to BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP. . . . pure page-turner."
"This mesmerizing, skillfully written debut novel works on multiple levels. It is both an affecting portrait of the profound impact of a debilitating illness and a pulse-pounding thriller whose outcome no one could predict."
"Watson's debut novel unwinds as a story that is both complicated and compellingly hypnotic. . . . Watson's pitch-perfect writing propels the story to a frenzied climax that will haunt readers long after they've closed the cover on this remarkable book."