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dappledshade's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
sarahrosebooks's review against another edition
3.0
See, books like this, that have writing plastered all over the cover and on the inside that it is 'a stunning edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller with an unforgettable narrator' and 'rated five stars by real readers' and also has the tag line of 'how do you solve your own murder', immediately makes me think that this is going to be an amazing book.
It also makes me suspicious, which is a good thing, as the suspicion checks my initial enthusiasm and means I don't go in with such high expectations. With this one, I went in thinking surely it can't be as good as all that, and it wasn't. But that doesn't mean that I thought this book was bad. I rated it three stars, so I still enjoyed it. I read it very quickly, as well, so it was good enough to keep me reading even when I came across things I didn't like.
Now, I should have prefaced this review with something of a disclaimer - I am not a medical professional, nor am I an expert on climbing or police procedure. But I am commenting on some of those things here, so correct me if I am wrong. It seems the author did her research on the condition that Alex finds himself in (something like locked-in syndrome perhaps?) and on the climbing aspects and police procedures, but to me, it all seemed a bit like... well, like I had to make allowances for it being a novel, and that it was done this way for the sake of the story. Maybe it was.
The author thanks a Richard Marsh, amongst others, at the end of the book. Richard Marsh is a survivor of locked in syndrome (survivors of this are rare, apparently). Locked in syndrome apparently happens to a small number of people who have had a stroke. It appears in a lot of cases that those with locked in syndrome can communicate by blinking. Also, there is a difference between a coma and a vegetative state - from what I have read, a coma generally lasts for a few weeks, and the patient will be completely unresponsive, whereas in a vegetative state will last a lot longer and the patient's eyes may be open at times and they may move or react to things involuntarily.
In Alex's case, it appears that he has locked in syndrome, but has not had a stroke, and that this came about instead because of his climbing accident. The doctors refer to him as being in a vegetative state and recommend turning off life support. I was very sceptical of the medical situation that Alex was in. I didn't quite buy the locked-in syndrome (although it is never really explicitly stated to be that) or that he could be as cognitively aware as he was in a vegetative state.
I also didn't think it was very plausible that the doctors and nurses would allow the things they did in this book, particularly in a UK hospital. On one occasion a couple eats an Indian take away in the hospital room next to Alex's bed. On various occasions there are blazing rows and confrontations, which I suspect would have been quickly shut down in a real life situation.
As for the plot itself, while I thought it quite a unique take on things, and liked Alex as a narrator, I didn't think it to be quite 'edge-of-your-seat' or as compelling and exhilarating as the reviews said. It started off slow, introducing us to the characters, and the situation Alex was in, what his emotions were, and how he came to suspect his accident wasn't an accident at all. There were a lot of convenient moments where couples would discuss private things only when they came to a public hospital to visit Alex, or where there would be phone calls and such (I don't know about you, but I've never been able to make a phone call in a hospital ward - the signal is generally rubbish). The plot only really got going towards the latter half of the book, and the eventual big reveal was quite disappointing. I thought it would be a more interesting conclusion than what it was.
Overall, I had a lot of thoughts about this, and ended up suspending my disbelief too many times for me to truly love it like others seem to.
It also makes me suspicious, which is a good thing, as the suspicion checks my initial enthusiasm and means I don't go in with such high expectations. With this one, I went in thinking surely it can't be as good as all that, and it wasn't. But that doesn't mean that I thought this book was bad. I rated it three stars, so I still enjoyed it. I read it very quickly, as well, so it was good enough to keep me reading even when I came across things I didn't like.
Now, I should have prefaced this review with something of a disclaimer - I am not a medical professional, nor am I an expert on climbing or police procedure. But I am commenting on some of those things here, so correct me if I am wrong. It seems the author did her research on the condition that Alex finds himself in (something like locked-in syndrome perhaps?) and on the climbing aspects and police procedures, but to me, it all seemed a bit like... well, like I had to make allowances for it being a novel, and that it was done this way for the sake of the story. Maybe it was.
The author thanks a Richard Marsh, amongst others, at the end of the book. Richard Marsh is a survivor of locked in syndrome (survivors of this are rare, apparently). Locked in syndrome apparently happens to a small number of people who have had a stroke. It appears in a lot of cases that those with locked in syndrome can communicate by blinking. Also, there is a difference between a coma and a vegetative state - from what I have read, a coma generally lasts for a few weeks, and the patient will be completely unresponsive, whereas in a vegetative state will last a lot longer and the patient's eyes may be open at times and they may move or react to things involuntarily.
In Alex's case, it appears that he has locked in syndrome, but has not had a stroke, and that this came about instead because of his climbing accident. The doctors refer to him as being in a vegetative state and recommend turning off life support. I was very sceptical of the medical situation that Alex was in. I didn't quite buy the locked-in syndrome (although it is never really explicitly stated to be that) or that he could be as cognitively aware as he was in a vegetative state.
Spoiler
Also, the brain scans, which apparently are good for detecting things such as locked in syndrome, showed nothing, which I again didn't buy. Surely they would have detected something if he was as cognitively aware as he seemed to be?I also didn't think it was very plausible that the doctors and nurses would allow the things they did in this book, particularly in a UK hospital. On one occasion a couple eats an Indian take away in the hospital room next to Alex's bed. On various occasions there are blazing rows and confrontations, which I suspect would have been quickly shut down in a real life situation.
Spoiler
At the end of the book, Bea and Cameron have a confrontation in Alex's hospital room, during which Cameron reveals to Bea that he has knife. I thought this to be quite ridiculous. Not one person stopped Cameron in all the times he visited? He threatened to kill Bea in Alex's room and no one stopped to notice this? Were there no windows in to the room, not even through the door? In our local hospital, the wards are locked, and you have to press a buzzer to gain entrance. There are streams of people everywhere, and most private rooms even have windows allowing people to see what is going on. It just seems very extreme that all this could happen without anyone noticing.As for the plot itself, while I thought it quite a unique take on things, and liked Alex as a narrator, I didn't think it to be quite 'edge-of-your-seat' or as compelling and exhilarating as the reviews said. It started off slow, introducing us to the characters, and the situation Alex was in, what his emotions were, and how he came to suspect his accident wasn't an accident at all. There were a lot of convenient moments where couples would discuss private things only when they came to a public hospital to visit Alex, or where there would be phone calls and such (I don't know about you, but I've never been able to make a phone call in a hospital ward - the signal is generally rubbish). The plot only really got going towards the latter half of the book, and the eventual big reveal was quite disappointing. I thought it would be a more interesting conclusion than what it was.
Overall, I had a lot of thoughts about this, and ended up suspending my disbelief too many times for me to truly love it like others seem to.
dinosourkisses's review against another edition
4.0
Spoiler
This is tragic, why couldn't he wake up and live happily, oh my god!This was still such an amazing book to read I'm so glad I picked it up.
nikitasimone's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
This is not my usual type of genre, but both the title and the originality of this idea intrigued me enough to pick up this book.
It is the story of Alex, who has been in a coma for over a year, and doctors believe he is unconscious, which he is not. All 342 pages are of Alex reminiscing about the events leading up to him in hospital, but trying to figure out what, or who, got him there. It is a hugely original idea, and at no point did I feel bored, or wish I was somewhere else; I really felt like I was experiencing the coma with Alex. When he was frustrated, I was too.
Despite this, I was frustrated for other reasons: The author made it so vividly real that you were shouting at everyone who came in the room to see that you were still there.
From Alex's viewpoint, the ending is profound, and without spoiling it, I did choke up on the way Alex describes his situation. It makes you think about how lucky we are to be here, and really spare a thought for people. However, I was conflicted about the way certain characters dealt with things, even more so at the end - I felt as though Koch was trying to make it bittersweet, but instead I ended up judging their decisions and found them so utterly emotionless and selfish. None of us know what we will do in a situation until we are put in them, but I feel like they were treating Alex as a burden more than anything.
I enjoyed 'If I Die Before I Wake', and now I can appreciate this title as a bit of a memoir/ letter from Alex to those who can't hear him. However the creation of the other characters and their appalling development into unlikeable people have tipped the scales for me.
This is not my usual type of genre, but both the title and the originality of this idea intrigued me enough to pick up this book.
It is the story of Alex, who has been in a coma for over a year, and doctors believe he is unconscious, which he is not. All 342 pages are of Alex reminiscing about the events leading up to him in hospital, but trying to figure out what, or who, got him there. It is a hugely original idea, and at no point did I feel bored, or wish I was somewhere else; I really felt like I was experiencing the coma with Alex. When he was frustrated, I was too.
Despite this, I was frustrated for other reasons:
Spoiler
I am no medical professional, but the fact that the actual doctors believed Alex was unconscious the whole time? I was doubting myself, and after research, I still believe my doubt.From Alex's viewpoint, the ending is profound, and without spoiling it, I did choke up on the way Alex describes his situation. It makes you think about how lucky we are to be here, and really spare a thought for people. However, I was conflicted about the way certain characters dealt with things, even more so at the end - I felt as though Koch was trying to make it bittersweet, but instead I ended up judging their decisions and found them so utterly emotionless and selfish. None of us know what we will do in a situation until we are put in them, but I feel like they were treating Alex as a burden more than anything.
I enjoyed 'If I Die Before I Wake', and now I can appreciate this title as a bit of a memoir/ letter from Alex to those who can't hear him. However the creation of the other characters and their appalling development into unlikeable people have tipped the scales for me.
what_deb_read_next's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
jooke's review against another edition
2.0
Totally not what I expected from this book. First half had a slow build-up with parts of memories and confessions of Alex' visitors that would become more significant later on. Only halfway the book, there comes some speed into the storyline . Finally my brain is triggered and wants to know where all those pieces of present and past will lead to, cause I already struggled so hard to continue reading.
poor 2 stars, it's not worth more to me.
poor 2 stars, it's not worth more to me.
charlywarlywoo's review against another edition
5.0
I cried like a baby at multiple points while reading this book. I really felt for the character and I’m so happy with the ending. It just felt right.
This is such a different take on the thriller genre and the author really captured the feelings of being trapped and helpless. I found myself really routing for Alex and any chance I had, my nose would be in this book. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read in the last 12 months.
This is such a different take on the thriller genre and the author really captured the feelings of being trapped and helpless. I found myself really routing for Alex and any chance I had, my nose would be in this book. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read in the last 12 months.
fla_3's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lifeamongpages's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for sending me this egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Finishing this book left me quite conflicted and it took me some time to sort through my feelings.
While reading this book I see-sawed between enjoying the book and being insanely frustrated with various aspects of it (characters/plot/pacing).
Overall it felt quite lack lustre, because we were missing large portions of the narrative and our narrator is unreliable and stuck in one room the entire book which makes the scope of the story very limited. It made it hard to progress and then there were such long stretches of time were not much happened... chapters really which should have been condensed because certain things were being repeated about his hospital stay that were quite unnecessary.
Also the ending... that probably made me the most unsure about my feelings towards the book, it was disappointing. I mean I saw one part of the twist coming, but not the identity of the doctor ... that was good, but then the final hallucination was just too much because by that point I wasn't sure what was real and what was hallucination and the fact his final moments were a hallucination kind of sucked.
But I would check out future books by Emily Koch, because she did set up some really good twists, just the execution and pacing needed some work.
Finishing this book left me quite conflicted and it took me some time to sort through my feelings.
While reading this book I see-sawed between enjoying the book and being insanely frustrated with various aspects of it (characters/plot/pacing).
Overall it felt quite lack lustre, because we were missing large portions of the narrative and our narrator is unreliable and stuck in one room the entire book which makes the scope of the story very limited. It made it hard to progress and then there were such long stretches of time were not much happened... chapters really which should have been condensed because certain things were being repeated about his hospital stay that were quite unnecessary.
Also the ending... that probably made me the most unsure about my feelings towards the book, it was disappointing. I mean I saw one part of the twist coming, but not the identity of the doctor ... that was good, but then the final hallucination was just too much because by that point I wasn't sure what was real and what was hallucination and the fact his final moments were a hallucination kind of sucked.
But I would check out future books by Emily Koch, because she did set up some really good twists, just the execution and pacing needed some work.
melbsreads's review against another edition
3.5
Trigger warnings: hospitalisation, stalking, cancer, death of a parent (in the past), death of a child (in the past), attempted murder, death, medical crisis, cheating?? (I have no idea if it counts as cheating when the person you're in a relationship with has been in a coma for over a year and you've been told they'll never recover...)
I was incredibly intrigued by the concept of this - man is in supposed climbing accident, man ends up in coma, man is actually completely and utterly aware of everything that is happening around him but can't move or speak or communicate in any way, man hears friends and family saying that maybe his accident wasn't an accident and tries to work out what happened.
So the concept was great. The writing was solid and I liked the characters. I liked the way Alex's narration cut between the present and his attempts at making someone understand that he's completely alert and the past, detailing his relationship with Bea and his love of climbing.
But. It's a very passive story. Alex can't move, can't speak, can't ask questions. He's limited entirely to what he overhears, what he smells, and then attempting to join the dots. As such, there's not much of an investigation and not a huge amount of tension in the story because you know that Alex is just going to keep on lying in his hospital bed and wait for information to come to him.
So it was GOOD, but it wasn't great because as a thriller? It wasn't particularly...thrilling.
I was incredibly intrigued by the concept of this - man is in supposed climbing accident, man ends up in coma, man is actually completely and utterly aware of everything that is happening around him but can't move or speak or communicate in any way, man hears friends and family saying that maybe his accident wasn't an accident and tries to work out what happened.
So the concept was great. The writing was solid and I liked the characters. I liked the way Alex's narration cut between the present and his attempts at making someone understand that he's completely alert and the past, detailing his relationship with Bea and his love of climbing.
But. It's a very passive story. Alex can't move, can't speak, can't ask questions. He's limited entirely to what he overhears, what he smells, and then attempting to join the dots. As such, there's not much of an investigation and not a huge amount of tension in the story because you know that Alex is just going to keep on lying in his hospital bed and wait for information to come to him.
So it was GOOD, but it wasn't great because as a thriller? It wasn't particularly...thrilling.