Before I Go to Sleep

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of emotional abuse and mental illness.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Watson’s novel is in conversation with other psychological thrillers that feature memory-impaired protagonists struggling to distinguish reality from manipulation. What similarities do you see between Christine’s experience and characters in other amnesia narratives, like Chris Bohjalian’s The Flight Attendant or Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train? How does Before I Go to Sleep distinguish itself from these other explorations of memory loss?

2. How effective did you find Watson’s choice to restrict readers entirely to Christine’s limited and unreliable perspective? What advantages did this narrative constraint offer in building suspense?

3. What moments in Christine’s daily struggle to reconstruct her identity generated the strongest emotional responses for you?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Christine’s shock at seeing her aged reflection while feeling young inside highlights the disconnect between internal and external self-perception. How do you relate to this experience of feeling caught between different versions of yourself? Have you faced similar moments of not recognizing the person in the mirror?

2. What aspects of your identity would feel most crucial to recover if you lost all your memories tomorrow? Which relationships, accomplishments, or personal qualities would you prioritize remembering first?

3. Do you maintain any form of journal, photo collection, or other external record of your experiences? How important do you think these memory aids are to preserving a coherent sense of self over time? What role do these external memory tools play in your daily life?

4. Mike systematically controls Christine’s access to information about her past, essentially rewriting her history. Have you encountered situations where someone else’s version of shared events differed dramatically from your own recollection?

5. How do you handle feelings of guilt when personal struggles or health challenges create burdens for the people who care about you?

6. Christine’s attraction to Dr. Nash stems partly from her confusion about her actual age and appropriate behavior. Have you experienced periods where you felt disconnected from your current life stage or struggled with age-appropriate choices?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Watson bases Christine’s condition on documented cases like those of Henry Molaison and Clive Wearing, real amnesia patients whose experiences shaped neurological research. How does the novel’s portrayal of memory disorders reflect contemporary medical understanding and social attitudes toward cognitive disabilities?

2. What ethical dilemmas does Christine’s vulnerability highlight regarding consent and autonomy for patients with severe cognitive impairments? How should society balance protecting vulnerable individuals with preserving their right to make decisions?

3. Mike’s ability to successfully impersonate Ben and remove Christine from institutional care by claiming to be her husband reveals serious gaps in safeguarding systems. What does this scenario suggest about the protection of vulnerable adults in care facilities?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Watson structures the novel with a circular timeline that begins and ends on November 30th, with Christine’s journal entries filling the middle section. How does this nonlinear approach enhance both the mystery elements and the reader’s understanding of Christine’s fragmented experience? What would the story lose if told chronologically?

2. How does the locked metal box, an important symbol in the novel, evolve from representing Christine’s inaccessible memories to representing Mike’s control over her reality? What makes this object such an effective symbolic element?

3. Why do you think Watson chose to write Christine’s journal entries in the present tense while maintaining the past tense for the framing narrative? How does this shift in temporal perspective affect the authenticity of her voice?

4. Which subtle clues throughout the novel hint at Mike’s deception before the final revelation? How do details like his reaction to certain foods or his job description contribute to the growing atmosphere of unease?

5. How does the antique clock on the mantel function as more than a timepiece? What does Christine’s instinctive dislike of this object reveal about her subconscious recognition that the house doesn’t reflect her true preferences?

6. Christine repeatedly worries that her journal entries might be confabulations rather than genuine recovered memories. How does this uncertainty about the reliability of memory add layers to the novel’s exploration of truth and identity?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. What comprehensive support system would you design for someone with Christine’s severe anterograde amnesia? Consider both practical tools for daily functioning and emotional aids for maintaining relationships and personal identity.

2. Christine discovers that Mike has furnished their home with items that don’t reflect her actual tastes or personality. If you were creating an authentic living space that truly represented who she was before her memory loss, what specific elements would you include? How would you balance her identity as a writer, mother, and individual with practical considerations for someone with her condition?

3. Watson deliberately ends the novel with uncertainty about whether Christine’s recovered memories will survive another night’s sleep. How would you resolve this ambiguity if you were writing the story’s continuation? Would she retain everything, lose it all again, or experience partial retention?

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