19 Nov 2018

IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE.



Everyone believes Alex is in a coma, unlikely to ever wake up. As his family debate withdrawing life support, he can only listen.

But he soon begins to suspect that his accident wasn’t really an accident. Even worse, the perpetrator is still out there and Alex is not the only one in danger.

Alex must use a series of clues from his past to solve the mystery of who tried to kill him. He needs to protect those he loves – before they decide to let him go…
- Amazon.Co.UK Blurb *


SOURCE ... A Reading Group Read.

READ FOR A CHALLENGE? ... No

MY THOUGHTS ... An original thriller with a refreshingly different character ... fingers crossed.

I was truly excited by this debut novel. Keen to see where it would take us given that the narrator is 27 year old Alex who, in a coma, is all too happy to die, if it weren't for the little matter of whodunit; who caused his 'accident' and can he somehow stop them before they get to his loved ones ... or time runs out?

At first horrified by 27 year old Alex's plight. Surely the stuff of nightmares; in a coma; unable to move, to respond and yet aware of every touch, of every smell, of everything that is being said ... including the discussions as to whether or not you be allowed to die. However, constantly told of his every thought, feeling, emotion, I quickly grew bored by it; the initial impact soon lost.

A work of non-fiction, yes, BUT, in order for it to work books of this genre (for me at least) have to have a feeling of realism about them and I'm afraid I found myself increasingly questioning certain aspects of the story; struggling with the fact that Alex's attempts at responding weren't picked up on any of the numerous MRI scans. Not that I'm medically trained BUT surely these responses; this brain activity would have registered on scans, wouldn't it?


Then there's the ending. I won't say too much for fear of a spoiler but what a disappointment.


Perhaps better as a short story. Perhaps better without the 'thriller' element which, lets face it, only constituted, what, less than a third of the book anyway? Perhaps better as a 'weepy'; the story of a young man in his prime recounting his life. Perhaps its unfair of me to be judging a book on what it could have been rather than what it was. {Sighs} I guess that ultimately this just wasn't one for me.



* You may have noticed that rather than my usual Back Cover Blurb, the synopsis comes to you courtesy of Amazon.Co.UK; that there is no first Sentence nor Memorable Moment My apologies for this, way behind with all things bloggy, alas I had to return the book before I made a note of these things. TT

9 comments:

WordsPoeticallyWorth said...

Greetings Tracy. Sorry you found the novel to be a disappointment, better luck next time. I'll give it a miss. Blessings. Love love, Andrew.

Kelly said...

At the start of your review, I also thought this sounded exciting and with great potential. I'm sorry to hear it didn't work out that way. I know it's not really the same at all, but it brings back memories of "The Lovely Bones", which was an excellent story.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

This one had very mixed reviews at our Reading Group BUT, with two not able to finish it, the majority of us (even those who on the whole enjoyed it) had the same concerns about the medical element.

Whilst we have many books/authors in common, I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree about The Lovely Bones Kelly, I hated it.

Mary (Bookfan) said...

I read another thriller(Sometimes I Lie) last week about someone in a coma. I liked it. Sorry this one didn't impress.

Brian Joseph said...

The story sounds kind of like Johnny Got His Gun, but perhaps a little less horrifying. I agree that a book like this would have to be realistic to be effective.

Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer said...

Well darn, if it didn't have . realistic vibe, I would have spent the whole read fretting about the questions you asked. It sounded so promising.

nightwingsraven said...

Tracy,
At first, when I started to read
your review, this book sounded
so interesting. But now I am very
uncertain about it. And as always
I appreciate your honesty, but I am
sorry that this book was a disappointment
to you.
Raven

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

Thank you for your totally honest, personal review. It wouldn't do if we all enjoyed every book we read, or which was recommended to us. I admire your candid comments, which never seek to influence, simply to inform.

Overall, the ratings and reviews have been a little kinder to the book and whilst I wouldn't rush to add it to my own list, if the opportunity to read it came my way and I had the time available, I might well give it a try!

Oh! but I am definitely with Kelly about 'The Lovely Bones' - it was amazing.

Thanks for sharing and I hope that all is well with you :)

Yvonne
xx

DMS said...

Hmm- it sounds so promising and I do like the cover and title. Interesting reading what you and your book club thought about it. I do appreciate your honest review. :) Thanks for sharing!
~Jess