Rating: 5/5
Review:
A terrific book
I thought this was a terrific book - gripping, tense, well written and with important things to say. It is narrated by Christine, who loses all memory of her life every time she sleeps. The opening is quite brilliant as she describes her bewilderment and then panic at finding herself in a strange house, in bed with a strange man and so on. I thought the narrator's voice was utterly convincing and I was completely drawn in after a very few pages. The book recounts how, by keeping a journal, Christine slowly builds up a picture of her history as she records what she is told by her husband and her doctor. There is a subtle but well-maintained air of suspense and menace as she has to decide whether she can trust either of them to tell her the truth, and of building suspicion as fragmentary memories begin to return and untruths are exposed and then explained. It is really well done right up to the nerve-tingling climax.
As well as being a really gripping story, it's a very well-written novel with psychological depth, real insights into how we rely on and process memories and the effect on others of Christine's disability. For example, the passage where she learns of a tragic event in her past and then realises that her husband has had to tell her and see her raw grief many, many times before is truly haunting. S.J. Watson makes Christine a writer in her former life, which makes the fluent, readable prose in her journal fit well with her character and gives credibility to the narrative. I found it an absolutely riveting read and one which has given me much to remember and think about afterward. Very highly recommended.
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