• Before I Go to Sleep

  • A Novel
  • By: S. J. Watson
  • Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy
  • Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (4,616 ratings)

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Before I Go to Sleep  By  cover art

Before I Go to Sleep

By: S. J. Watson
Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy
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Publisher's summary

"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 be telling you only half the story.

Welcome to Christine's life.

©2011 S.J. Watson (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Before I Go to Sleep

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,884
  • 4 Stars
    1,589
  • 3 Stars
    810
  • 2 Stars
    219
  • 1 Stars
    114
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    2,288
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  • 2 Stars
    88
  • 1 Stars
    54
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,657
  • 4 Stars
    1,290
  • 3 Stars
    744
  • 2 Stars
    223
  • 1 Stars
    141

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A terrifying story

Any additional comments?

This book is really scary on so many levels. The vulnerable main character suffers ongoing terrible abuse and betrayal. Heavy on the violence, sense of loss and abandonment. A page turner but a cautionary story that is more thriller than anything else. Haunting.

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69 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Particularly Love the Narrator!

Having read rave reviews about this book, I chose not to read more than the basic synopsis. I had no idea what to expect. I'd never heard of the narrator, Orlagh Cassidy, and let me stress what a fabulous job she did, nailing the voices for each character, as well as all the emotional nuances. Although there were times I felt the story could have moved along more quickly, I realized later that the slow pace is what makes the whole thing work so well. Other reviewers have, in my opinion, made a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to the 'glitch' of the echo during a small portion of the audio. Yes, it's a bit annoying, but big deal. Bottom line is that this is not a book to rush through. Enjoy the experience, work your way through the echo glitch, and enjoy this wonderfully narrated and well crafted book.

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34 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting...

Part mystery, part chronicle of brain damage. The story pushes you to extrapolate and guess on the real story going on...the really interesting parts are less about her condition (amnesia that restarts every day)than the relationships around her and trust. The plot and culmination aren't shockingly surprising - but the exploration of what it's like to live in a world with lost memory grabbed my interest. The "trust" in others is the big issue. I'd have like more "strange" brain trivia and information mixed in perhaps...the time she spent in hospital is covered quickly but truly frightening...I guess I enjoyed it but would have preferred more about the early experience and less of the "Mystery" of whoddunit. Still it was pretty good, in comparison to many of the memory loss/manipulation tales out there. Maybe I'm being too hard on it, I did enjoy it, but i see the potential for a much better book inside here....

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Must listen.

I was ready to give up on audiobooks again after purchasing three duds that I just couldn't get through. I had heard about this book and read the reviews carefully prior to purchasing it. It was very entertaining and the narrator did quite a good job. Overall it held my interest and, even though it faltered a bit through the middle and has been criticized for its ending, I have to say this is a good debut novel for Watson.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting story - well-told

The story was engrossing and suspenseful, with a satisfying finish. I felt for the main character, Christine, and I was excited to see how she would adapt. The story developed believeably, and the ending didn't disappoint. Orlagh Cassidy did a great job of presenting the characters.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't put this book down!

This book was so good! I couldn't stop listening to it. I was shocked when I found out (about 3/4 of the way through) that the author was a man...he did such a great job writing from the perspective of a woman. Also, the way he wrote the book made me feel like I was in Christine's confused mind! Intriguing read! The narrator did a great job also.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't put it down.............

This is the best 'page turner' i have read in a long long whilte. Great book. Lock the front door, draw your blinds, download without delay..............

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Kept Me Guessing

I loved this book and I recommend it to anyone who likes fiction with a bite. The author keeps your attention all the way through and you just can't walk away. It's frustrating at times because you actually begin to feel the main character's anxiety. It reminds me of "The Usual Suspects" in that you *think* you know what's going on...but you don't.

There are quite a few unnecessary *f*bombs and sensational-like lines that have no effect on the story. We listened in the car and just laughed out loud at the silliness of some of the sensational lines. Be warned if you're listening without earbuds.

I didn't notice the echo-issues other readers have mentioned. Sounded great to me.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring Female version of Memento

this is probably the most boring audiobook of which I have ever listened. The reader did a great job telling the story, but this really could have been a 50-page short story vs eight or nine hours of listening to a woman wake up, while about her memory loss, go to sleep, wake up, whine about her memory, well, you get it. Awful...

was also obvious the author had a very difficult time trying to create a surprise ending which was pretty much expected from the first page

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nail-biting story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! For a first novel, this book is gripping and a little bit terrifying. I couldn't put it down.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I didn't really have a favorite character, but I had a least favorite (towards the end, anyway).

Have you listened to any of Orlagh Cassidy’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first for Orlagh, but it won't be my last!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending had me in tears. I felt so happy and sorry for Chrissy.

Any additional comments?

Don't plan to get any sleep!

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12 people found this helpful