Christine awakens every morning in an unfamiliar bed in a
room she doesn't recognize beside a man who's a total
stranger. And she does not know the woman in the bathroom
mirror staring back at her. All around that mirror are
photos showing Christine who she is, where she is and that
the man in her bed is her husband, Ben, who gently reminds
her of the situation they are both coping with daily. A
long-ago accident caused Christine to lose the aptitude to
remember, so each day is a totally new beginning.
Even though Christine cannot remember Ben, she has to go by
what he tells her of her life. That is until she gets a
phone call from a Dr. Nash reminding her to read a hidden
journal she's been keeping for the past several weeks. A
journal Ben knows nothing about. And a doctor Ben does not
know she's seeing. As Christine reads of past days in her
life, flashes of memories start to come back. Dr. Nash is
encouraged, suggesting they are not lost completely; it's
just a matter of finding a way to access them. But why has
she written "Do Not Trust Ben" on the front page of her
journal? And can she really trust what anyone tells her or
any of the reflections she believes are memories?
Christine is in for a shock as this complex, intriguing
story reaches a devastating climax. Readers will be turning
pages as fast as they can to learn the astonishing outcome
of this tormented woman's life. Excellent characterization
and intricate plot development make this debut by British
author S. J. Watson one of the best suspense novels
this summer.
Every morning, Christine awakens beside a stranger in an
unfamiliar bed. She sees a middle-aged face in the bathroom
mirror that she does not recognize. And every morning, the
man patiently explains that he is Ben, her husband, that she
is 47 years old, and that an accident long ago damaged her
ability to remember.
In place of memories Christine has a handful of pictures, a
whiteboard in the kitchen and a journal, hidden in a
closet. She knows about the journal because Dr. Ed Nash, a
neurologist who claims to be treating her without Ben’s
knowledge, reminds her about it each day. Inside its pages,
the damaged woman has begun meticulously recording her daily
events — sessions with Dr. Nash, snippets of information
that Ben shares, flashes of her former self that briefly,
miraculously appear.
But as the pages accumulate, inconsistencies begin to
emerge, raising disturbing questions that Christine is
determined to find answers to. And the more she pieces
together the shards of her broken life, the closer she gets
to the truth...and the more terrifying and deadly it is.
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