Recommended by Ellen J., Andrea and Haley

Ellen's review:

Christine wakes up every morning next to a man she can't remember who says he is her husband Ben, and who tells her that she had an accident twenty years ago which caused her to lose her memory. Ben's loving patience calms her fears and lessens her anxiety, as every day she struggles to remember who she is and what has happened to her. When Dr. Nash, a neuropsychologist who has read about her case and is interested in trying to help her, tracks her down they start meeting regularly and gradually Christine's memory starts to return.

He encourages her to start keeping a journal, in which she writes about each day's activities and which she must re-read every morning to once again learn who she is. Yet she wonders why she has written "Do not trust Ben" in large letters at the beginning of the journal and those words keep her and the reader on edge throughout this unsettling novel. As Christine struggles to get her life back on track, Dr. Nash tries to help her by taking her to some of the hospitals and rehab centers where she spent time recovering and what she starts to remember is both frightening and doesn't always seem to match up with what Ben has been telling her about her past.

There is something very frightening to me about the idea of losing my memory and this book took me on a very uncomfortable exploration of what a person's life might be like without one. Of course, I often can't recall a person's name or what happened in some movies, but to have one's past totally wiped out is a chilling concept to me. So although I appreciated the author's craft in constructing this thriller, I found this book almost as unnerving as some horror novels or movies of which I am not a fan.

I look forward to our book club's discussion of this book.

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