I was googling the best suspense novels and this one popped up on most lists. So I decided to give it a read. I would definitely agree that it is a "page-turner". I am tired today because I had to stay up late last night to finish it!
Christine has suffered a tragic event that results in a brain injury that causes amnesia. She doesn't have typical amnesia however. She literally cannot retain any information about her life from day to day. She wakes up every morning and has no idea where she is or who she is with. Her tragic event happens in her 20s and now she is in her 40s. When she wakes up each morning, she thinks she is still in her 20s. (You have to think about the Drew Barrymore/Adam Sandler movie 50 First Dates. It's the same type of amnesia.) She cannot make new memories and she cannot remember anything about the last 20 years of her life. Nothing. Every single day she starts over.
There is a doctor, Dr. Nash, who contacts her and convinces her that he can help her. He tells her that he would like to write a paper about her type of amnesia and his method of treatment of her. He wants her to journal everything that she learns each day before she falls asleep because once she falls asleep, she is back to square one. He gives her a phone so that he can call her each morning to remind her where her journal is. When she finds the journal, she can read what she wrote the previous days. There is also her husband, Ben, who she lives with but obviously doesn't remember. Dr. Nash tells Christine (every day) that Ben is opposed to Christine working with him, or any doctor, because they had already tried every type of treatment and none of it worked, so he just wants to live their lives the way it is. So Christine writes notes in her journal to keep the journal, and her appointments with Dr. Nash, a secret.
Ben is super patient and loving, but Christine re-discovers nearly every day that he has lied about something. When she questions him about it, he explains that some things are simply to upsetting to her (like her son Adam's death), so instead of causing her emotional turmoil all the time (because she doesn't remember from day to day), he just avoids certain subjects/truths.
The other significant relationship in Christine's life was her best friend, Claire, who she initially only remembers as the "redhead" she used to be close to. It's takes her a long time to figure out what happened to their relationship.
So Christine doesn't know who to believe or who to trust. She doesn't know the truth from lies. I really enjoyed following Christine on her journey!
Wendy's Rating: *****
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