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Post 6: Predictions



In Before I Go to Sleep, my first instinct is that Christine will be reunited with her long- lost friend Claire. Ben told Christine that Claire moved to New Zealand, but he has lied so much I doubt this is true. Also, it would be a horrible plot device to have Christine suddenly remember it all (although to be honest, I would not put it past this author). I think Christine needs a little help, a little nudging to remember a new piece of information, and Claire would be good for that. She knew Christine before Ben, so would not have the same allegiance to him, and knew her all throughout the accident and recovery system. Ben is obviously doesn’t want Christine to see Claire, so Claire must have some information from the past that Ben doesn’t want Christine to know. The reason for the separation, I suspect, was that at some time during the recovery Christine found out through Claire about who caused her memory loss, and Ben didn’t want Christine to know, so he intentionally cast her out of their lives.

As for who caused the memory loss, I now think I will switch my prediction: I believe it was Dr. Nash. Christine loosing her memory like this is very advantageous to his career, as he is writing a full-blown study about the case. I also think he has been having romantic relations with Christine for a long time, as Christine’s reaction to their kiss showed: “I heard only one word. Love.” She feels much more comfortable in his arms than Ben’s, and then he stops her. I think that was guilt stopping him and making him try to convince her that she didn’t love him, so it wouldn’t be so hard for him to stomach that he caused her pain. The tensions that would arise if they had an affair before the memory loss would be significant enough to cause it, as Christine feels loyal to Ben but still is willing to have this affair. Dr. Nash would have become jealous, maybe so jealous he would have caused this memory loss.

Christine also associates the name “Ed” with the accident, and the connection between that and Dr.Nash’s first name, Ed, may be a red herring, but in my opinion the uneasiness Christine felt when she learned that piece of information was too much to ignore.


So between Ben (whose hiding of Claire will deem him unforgivable) and Dr. Nash, Christine is left with no one to turn to except Claire. I hope she finds refuge and strength in Claire, and they don’t talk solely about Ben. I would like this to be a tale where Christine ends up with her strong female friend and finds empowerment for herself, away from the two men who have deceived her, but I think it’s more likely that it won’t be. Christine has only felt in control so far through Dr. Nash and this book lacks the themes of female empowerment, so I believe she’ll end up forgiving Dr. Nash for her memory loss and living with him.

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