Before I Go to Sleep – December CC Book Club Selection

[Mary13]

<p>

@Malignon

What conclusions did the rest of you come to before realizing that FB was her attacker and the one she had an affair with?

</p>

<p>When I first opened the book, I thought Fake Ben was truly her husband and also the “bad guy”—only because of the advertising for the book where the “Don’t Trust Ben” journal entry was revealed. But then very early on, I had suspicions that Fake Ben was not Christine’s husband:</p>

<p>1) My “maybe he’s not her husband” point came when Fake Ben mentioned the fire that destroyed all the photos Christine had hoped to see. It just seemed too convenient an answer. (14% on the Kindle – sorry no page numbers in my download).</p>

<p>2) My “probably he’s not her husband” point came just a few pages later when Fake Ben’s answer to Christine’s question about her job was, “Oh, you had a temporary job as a secretary—well, personal assistant, really—at some lawyer’s, I think it was.” He thinks it was? No matter how many years have passed, a husband knows exactly what his wife does/did for a living—or at least knows it’s important to pretend he does. </p>

<p>3) My “for sure he’s not her husband” point came when Fake Ben referred to Claire as a “b*tch.” We know that was the attacker’s word, so his use of it was a dead giveaway, no pun intended. That was 66% of the way through the book, so from then on, I just had fun watching it all unfold and trying to figure out the details.</p>

[SouthJerseyChessMom]

<p>Mary13, I love the way you answered that question. “maybe, probably, for sure”. </p>

<p>I thought the message “Don’t Trust Ben” was too obvious a clue, so Dr Nash was high on my list of suspicious people for much of the book. I didn’t trust Claire when she came on the scene,either. The “for sure” moment came when Claire called the school and he didn’t work there.
I don’t read many thrillers, so it took me longer than most to figure this out, that’s “for sure” !</p>

[Mary13]

<p>I also wondered about Dr. Nash well into the book, wondering if he might be an accomplice to Fake Ben. </p>

<p>Even at the end, he was still something of an enigma to me. He seemed to be a mild-mannered, caring doctor, with a dash of youthful ambition combined with na</p>

[Mary13]

<p>Re Dr. Nash’s trip to the psychiatric hospital with Christine, I feel the need to pick at another detail of Watson’s writing. As Christine walks through, it’s like she’s Olivia de Havilland in “The Snake Pit”: </p>

<p>

I looked in one window. A girl was sitting on the bed, naked, staring at the television. In another, a man sat on his haunches, rocking, his arms wrapped around his knees as if to shield himself from the cold…We carried on walking. A woman looked up as I passed her room, and though our eyes made contact, hers betrayed no expression. Instead she slapped herself, still looking at me, and when I winced, she did it again. A vision flitted through me—visiting a zoo as a child, watching a tiger pace up and down in his cage—but I pushed it away and carried on, resolving to look neither left nor right.

</p>

<p>I’ve never been to a psychiatric hospital, so I would certainly like to hear from someone who has. To me, this description seemed over the top…and maybe a little offensive. (I’m not trying to be the PC police–I realize this is a thriller that needs to create atmosphere–but still.)</p>

[emeraldkity4]

<p>Ive been on the psych floor of two local hospitals- & it was very different from a scene from " Suddenly last Summer".</p>

<p>I was either in my room with the door closed, reading, or if I wanted to socialize- then in the common room, where there were board games and such.</p>

<p>My mother had been on a wing for elderly people with issues and while it was a locked wing & there were a few people muttering to themselves or seemingly catatonic, there were also those who seemed happy and healthy.</p>

[Malignon]

<p>I just want to THANK everyone who recommended “Still Alice.”
I just began reading it this weekend and like “Before I Go To SLeep” I don’t want to put it down, but for entirely different reasons.</p>

<p>BIGTS is a mystery and thriller with an original approach to amnesia. It was a page-turner with an edge and plenty of suspense to keep the reader captivated.</p>

<p>Still Alice is a touching and realistic approach to Alzheimer’s. Altrhough it too is a page-turner, there is no underlying terror awaiting to be revealed except for the disease. Having Alice’s perspective without being written in the first person as BIGTS was, allows the reader to “experience” the gradual affects of Alzheimer’s just as Alice does.</p>

<p>It makes my frequent forgetfullness less of a joke about getting old and more of a real concern.</p>

<p>I have plenty more to read in Still Alice, so I look forward to doing so very soon!</p>

[Mary13]

<p>emeraldkity4, thanks for your input. Your description of the psych floor was a lot more what I had in mind than the picture that S.J. Watson painted in Before I Go to Sleep.</p>

<p>Malignon, I’m glad you found Still Alice through this thread. I will definitely put it on my reading list. I hope you’ll join us for our next book…whatever it may be. We’ll probably pick something for our February selection over the next couple of days.</p>

[Mary13]

<p>Special thanks to SouthJerseyChessMom for first mentioning Before I Go to Sleep—it was a departure from our usual fare, and I enjoyed it! As always, more comments are welcome, but at the same time, should we look toward February? Once again, here are our previous selections:</p>

<p>2009:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/722812-cc-june-summer-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/722812-cc-june-summer-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt; (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society)</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/739173-dreamers-day-july-cc-summer-book-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/739173-dreamers-day-july-cc-summer-book-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/756770-sarah-s-key-august-cc-summer-book-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/756770-sarah-s-key-august-cc-summer-book-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/775489-american-wife-october-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/775489-american-wife-october-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/802971-thirteenth-tale-december-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/802971-thirteenth-tale-december-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>2010:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/839908-help-february-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/839908-help-february-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/874004-shadow-wind-april-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/874004-shadow-wind-april-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/921062-elegance-hedgehog-june-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/921062-elegance-hedgehog-june-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/950434-let-great-world-spin-august-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/950434-let-great-world-spin-august-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/983235-cutting-stone-october-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/983235-cutting-stone-october-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1017662-moonstone-december-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1017662-moonstone-december-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>2011:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1051496-major-pettigrew-s-last-stand-february-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1051496-major-pettigrew-s-last-stand-february-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1088114-water-elephants-april-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1088114-water-elephants-april-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1128229-hotel-corner-bitter-sweet-june-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1128229-hotel-corner-bitter-sweet-june-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1164259-secret-garden-forgotten-garden-august-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1164259-secret-garden-forgotten-garden-august-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1196045-state-wonder-october-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1196045-state-wonder-october-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1227061-before-i-go-sleep-december-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1227061-before-i-go-sleep-december-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And here are a few books that we considered last time, but put on the back burner:</p>

<p>Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks</p>

<p>The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides</p>

<p>The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh</p>

<p>Go ahead and add to the list. The stronger your feelings (either pro or con), the better.</p>

[PATheaterMom]

<p>Any three of those books would be fine with me! I just started reading Caleb’s Crossing and its wonderful! I’ve heard Jeffrey Eugenides interviewed about The marriage plot-it does sound very interesting.</p>

[NJTheatreMOM]

<p>“The Cat’s Table” by Michael Ondaatje. I have read this, and it’s excellent. I would be delighted to discuss it here, if it were chosen. Even if it is never chosen, I am grateful for the fact that it was under consideration here two months ago. Otherwise I probably would not have discovered it and read it!</p>

<p>“In the Country of Men,” by Hisham Matar. This is an excellent, short novel of Libya written from the viewpoint of a young boy. I have read it and I recommend it. However, the subject matter may be too unpleasant for some members.</p>

<p>Other books that are on my personal reading list:</p>

<p>“11/23/63” by Stephen King. I think Stephen King is at his best when he is not writing about bloody terror; I do like the way he writes. I asked Santa Claus for this and am looking forward to reading it. It might be too long for this group, though.</p>

<p>“The Crimson Petal and the White” by Michael Faber. I own this and am going to read either it or the Stephen King novel next. It is probably also way too long though.</p>

<p>“The Sea” by John Banville. Winner of the 2006 Man Booker Prize.</p>

<p>I am also planning to read something by Harukai Murakami soon; I’m not sure which book. I keep hearing raves about him. He has a new novel out that is not supposed to be his best work, or a good one to start with. If anyone here has read any Murakami, I’d love suggestions!</p>

<p>Of the three books Mary13 mentioned, I might read “Caleb’s Crossing” if it were chosen. I have no interest in the other two.</p>

[CBBBlinker]

<p>Was away for the weekend, so just catching up on recent posts. Re: “when did you suspect FB was, in fact, fake?” – as I mentioned earlier, for me it was when Dr. Nash took Christine to her old house and the woman there mentioned one of the previous owners was an architect. And, yes, for a while I did think Dr. Nash may have been her attacker.</p>

<p>Any of the suggested books sounds great to me – I haven’t read any of them.</p>

[psychmom]

<p>I just have to comment about the description of the psych hospital. I worked on a locked, inpatient unit (as a psychiatrist) for a few years. We had a range of patients (voluntary, involuntary, psychotic, neurotic, you-name-it), and for the most part, the unit was calm and therapeutic. Yes, there were some scary situations and firghtening aspects, but overall, the idea had been to keep a feeling of safety and peace. </p>

<p>Christine was not placed in a ward for the criminally insane, a la Hannibal, so, I do think the author toyed somewhat with our fears.</p>

<p>Okay, back to February’s book choice…</p>

[Mary13]

<p>Thanks psychmom. I know an author sometimes has to walk that fine line between ambiance and accuracy, and I had a feeling Watson was tipping more heavily toward the former.</p>

[ignatius]

<p>Re books mentioned so far:</p>

<p>11/22/63 - Stephen King. I definitely want to read it.</p>

<p>1Q84 - Haruki Murikami. I definitely want to read it. Long also though … sort of like putting the three volumes of the Millennium series all together. </p>

<p>from Library Journal:</p>

<p>

Originally published in Japan as three volumes, each of which were instant best sellers, this work—perhaps Murakami’s finest—will surely have the same success in its breathlessly anticipated, all-in-one English translation. Murakami aficionados will delight in recognizing traces of earlier titles, especially A Wild Sheep Chase, Norwegian Wood, and even Underground

</p>

<p>^^^ Both of the above number 900+ pages but, hey, winter looms.</p>

<p>The Crimson and the Petal - Yeah, I would and I see only 800+ pages. LOL </p>

<p>The Cat’s Table - Haven’t read it and am still interested.</p>

<p>No - for me - for any inclination to read In the Country of Men and The Sea.</p>

<p>The Marriage Plot - I definitely want to read it.</p>

<p>The Language of Flowers - I definitely want to read it but it sounds like spring … maybe the April choice.</p>

<p>Now for Caleb’s Crossing: I am not known for delayed gratification. So even though Mary warned me and I told her I’d wait … well, the book looked at me sadly whenever I passed it … I swear it did. Anyway … well, you know. However, I’ve already checked out the audio version and plan to listen to it prior to discussion if it gets chosen - hey, I’ll probably listen to it regardless. (Jennifer Ehle - Elizabeth Bennett in the Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth - reads the audio version.) <em>Just to forestall the inevitable questions, I preemptively answer “I don’t know” … never having read another Geraldine Brooks book, I can’t compare it in any way to her others.</em></p>

<p>I’ll add to the list:</p>

<p>The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel - Anthony Horowitz. Only 320 pages so combine it with The Hound of the Baskervilles and we have a classic + one. </p>

<p>From The Guardian:</p>

<p>

But The House of Silk is in a class of its own: Horowitz’s novel is the first Sherlock Holmes addition to have been written with the endorsement of the Conan Doyle estate. It is not a pastiche. It is not an update. It is, as its cover proudly declares, “the new Sherlock Holmes novel”. Horowitz is the anointed successor. And to whom much is given, of him shall much be required …

</p>

<p>[The</a> House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz ? review | Books | The Guardian](<a href=“http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/27/house-silk-anthony-horowitz-sherlock-holmes]The”>The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz – review | Anthony Horowitz | The Guardian)</p>

<p>Mary: You do such a great job of narrowing and winnowing multiple suggestions until you come up with a viable list and then the final choice. I’m easy … I read pretty much anything … and I enjoy the CC Book Club discussions.</p>

[ignatius]

<p>I’d like to add The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern. </p>

<p>It keeps appearing on Best of 2011 lists. Mary … you tossed it last time but I didn’t know if you did so permanently … as in not interested or rather as in “not this time.”</p>

[BUandBC82]

<p>Hi All! </p>

<p>Sorry I’ve been MIA for the latter half of the Before I Go to Sleep discussion. It has been a very busy December.</p>

<p>As far as book suggestions for February, I’m going back to some of the books we narrowed it down to last month - Caleb’s Crossing, The Family Fang, The Night Circus and The Language of Flowers. I haven’t read any of those yet, so would still like to consider them. I’ll keep an open mind to other suggestions as well.</p>

[Malignon]

<p>I have read Stephen King’s 11/22/63 novel and enjoyed it very much. It did take me a week to read it but it was never a chore and I did not want it to end! I can’t say that about all of King’s novels.</p>

<p>The Night Circus intrigues me and wouldn’t mind reading it with all of you.</p>

<p>Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 has been compared to the Millennium Trilogy–Lizbeth Salendar–and I want to read it, too.</p>

<p>Thanks to this group–without your suggestions I might never have read Still Alice–one of my favorite books, PERIOD.</p>

[SouthJerseyChessMom]

<p>I wondered where you were, ** BUandBC**
Just want to say that I think ** Before I Go To Sleep ** turned out to be a “good” book for discussion, as evidenced by our expanded CC group! </p>

<p>And, I’ll read whatever the group decides…</p>

[Mary13]

<p>The following 12 (!) possibilities have been suggested:</p>

<p>Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks</p>

<p>The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides</p>

<p>The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh</p>

<p>The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje</p>

<p>In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar</p>

<p>11/22/63 by Stephen King </p>

<p>The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber</p>

<p>The Sea by John Banville </p>

<p>1Q84 by Haruki Murikami</p>

<p>The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz & The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes stories)</p>

<p>The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern</p>

<p>The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson</p>

<p>I’d say the first step in paring down the list is to remove books that people are not interested in at the moment. They may reappear again on the spring list, but for now, we’ll set them aside. So, based on posts #170 and #174, that eliminates The Marriage Plot, The Language of Flowers, In the Country of Men and The Sea. </p>

<p>Second, I’m inclined to eliminate books that have already been read by two or more posters, despite everyone’s gracious willingness to discuss something that they’ve already finished. If it were me, I’d want the fun of diving into something brand new, rather than going back and reviewing a book that will be a distant memory by February. So that eliminates Caleb’s Crossing. </p>

<p>Third, I’m going to eliminate any book over 900 pages, so out goes *1Q84<a href=“944”>/i</a> and *The Crimson Petal and the White<a href=“920”>/i</a>. I just don’t trust myself to finish in the time allotted (especially the “Kafka-esque” 1Q84). 11/22/63 remains in the running at a whopping 849 pages, but I think that’s okay, as Stephen King books are usually very readable, fast-moving prose.</p>

<p>That leaves us with:</p>

<p>The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje</p>

<p>11/22/63 by Stephen King </p>

<p>The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz & The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes stories)</p>

<p>The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern</p>

<p>The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson</p>

<p>Okay, I hope I haven’t crushed any hopes with my slicing and dicing…Can you all do our usual thing and rank your top three, in order of preference?</p>

[NJTheatreMOM]

<ol>
<li><p>11/22/63</p></li>
<li><p>Cat’s Table</p></li>
<li><p>Hmm…House of Silk and Hound of the Baskervilles, I guess</p></li>
</ol>