Books2Movies Club discussion

Before I Go to Sleep is a debut novel by S.J. Watson that was a surprise hit, taking readers on a journey with a woman whose life and interpretation of it depends on how much she trusts people she's surrounded with, because she has no memories of her own to rely on.

The story captivated Ridley Scott enough to get at once the rights for its adaptation. The movie was released merely three years after the original publication of the book.

I am sure some of you have seen the movie or read the book - please share your thoughts and impressions of them here with us.

Tosh wrote: "I have not seen the movie, but I think this is one of those instances where it would probably play out better on screen..."

I did exactly the opposite - after months of delaying, I finally relented and went to see the movie. I didn't want to, because I wanted to read the book first, but have no time now. Anyway, the actors were really great, the suspense good, I would recommend it to watch, but they lost me with one tiny yet highly implausible thing. (view spoiler)[I hear in the book the period is considerably shorter, but in movie, the husband and the child are away for four years - which is unbelievable. How much time they needed away from her? She was Adam's mother! And how they didn't notice the bills for her care aren't coming?? That was in any case ridiculously way too long time not to at least check upon her well-being. (hide spoiler)]

Added to my movie list, Zeljka! Although I believe it was already on there...is this the film with Nicole Kidman?

Amy wrote: "Added to my movie list, Zeljka! Although I believe it was already on there...is this the film with Nicole Kidman?"

Yes it is. They were all great, Nicole, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and the thriller is solid. I can complain about some things, but overall it was much better than some other offers on the market :)

I just got this book at the library and had no idea there was a movie. Awesome!

I Got the book like a year ago but i havent read it yet, i think i would give it a try this year, thanks!

I listened to this one and was very impressed with it. Within just a few pages, it felt like some bizarre combination of Jonathan Nolan's Memento mori and 50 First Dates, but much more ominous. I got completely absorbed into the story, and while the ending turned out to be similar to what I had guessed at in the beginning (view spoiler)[although I had guessed that Ben was her attacker, that didn't morph into "he isn't Ben" until maybe over halfway through the book (hide spoiler)], there were enough plot twists in it to keep my not quite certain until right at the end, so that was extremely satisfying. Only one plot device would have made it a little better: (view spoiler)[There were only two male figures in the whole story that Christine actually interacted with, so ONE of them had to be her attacker (just by the nature of how these thrillers are written), and it was either Adam or Ben. If Adam's role had been more ambiguous for longer, it would have been better, but he was too clearly the "good guy" a little too early in the story. The only other option would have been to have a third male figure, a red herring of sorts. (hide spoiler)]

The constant questioning of herself and what she'd written were brilliant, and I imagine spot-on. The sheer amount of her writing was a bit questionable (it takes a long time to write an entry as long as several pages!) but the thought process she engages in were very realistic to me.

Definitely very enjoyable. I have no desire to see the film (I don't do well mentally with thrillers on film, and just listening to some of the scenes on audio and having my dog suddenly start barking unexpectedly a couple of times made me about jump out of my skin), but the book was definitely a fast-paced adventure.