Before I Go To Sleep [Hardcover]

"It's exceptionally accomplished...The structure is so dazzling it almost distracts you from the quality of the writing."--Guardian

"S J Watson's debut doesn't put a foot wrong... brilliantly simple... Unforgettable."--Financial Times Weekend

"Before I Go To Sleep is an astounding piece of work... a tour de force, a haunting tapestry woven from a single woman’s ragged thoughts, desperate to make sense of the past she constantly forgets... This is writing of the highest calibre."--Chris Simmons, crimesquad.com

"A taut and terrifying novel, with a grip of steel."--Woman & Home

"An unsettling, compulsive thriller...A truly gripping read."--Marie Claire

"Spectacular."--She

"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."--People (4 stars) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?

An original, haunting, and deeply chilling debut.

'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 ...'

Welcome to Christine's life.

Quite simply the best debut novel I've ever read. - Tess Gerritsen

Brilliant in its pacing, profound in its central question, suspenseful on every page - and satisfying in its thriller ending. - Anita Shreve

A deft, perceptive exploration of a fascinating neurological condition, and a cracking good thriller. -Lionel Shriver

A terrific first novel - well-written, genuinely unsettling and psychologically very plausible. Thrillers seldom come much better than this. Loved it, read it in one - Joanne Harris

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

So high-concept, so ambitious and so structurally brilliant. It's so rare to read a thriller that's perfect in every detail, but this one definitely qualifies! - Sophie Hannah

A deeply unsettling debut that asks the most terrifying question - what do you have left when you lose yourself? - Val McDermid

A truly amazing debut. The central character, Christine, is beautifully drawn. It's hard to imagine a more compelling, believable and sympathetic portrayal of a damaged human being. I loved it from start to finish. - Mo Hayder

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 only be telling you half the story.

Welcome to Christine's life.

S J Watson was born in the Midlands, lives in London and worked in the NHS for a number of years.

In 2009 Watson was accepted into the first Faber Academy 'Writing a Novel' Course, a programme that covers all aspects of the novel-writing process. Before I Go to Sleep is the result.

Now sold in over 30 languages around the world, Before I Go To Sleep has been also been acquired for film by Ridley Scott's production company, Scott Free, with Rowan Joffe to direct. Filming is scheduled to begin in 2011.