IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE.

IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE by EMILY KOCH.

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