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A review by pap3rcut__
If I Die Before I Wake by Emily Koch
Did not finish book.
1.0
Before I start this review I would like to say this book has an average of 3.5 stars on Goodreads so it may be enjoyable for some however I found it rather tedious until the last 25 pages or so.
Alex is in a coma and unlikely to ever wake up yet is girlfriend Bea is by his side in the hope he'll show signs of improvement his family and friends are slowly losing faith and all Alex can do is listen. Alex soon begins to suspect that the accident that put him here wasn’t really an accident and as his memories come flooding back he begins to realise he may not be the only one in trouble. Through Alex's narrative we are revealed clues from his past which he uses to find out who tried to kill him before they decide to pull his life support.
Now it sounds absolutely gripping however the setting up of the novel was incredibly slow and it was hard to get through and I couldn't connect with any of the characters including Alex. However it must be said as the book came to an end there was that slight bit of sympathy I felt for him as his voice stuck inside his vegetative state gave a very claustrophobic feeling which I found uneasy. Finally I'm no Doctor so I can't really comment yet I find it baffling that someone in a coma could have such a strong neurological response to the people around him yet there were no signs of him being "alive" to friends, family and doctors - for example he could smell cigarette smoke and perfume when Bea was in the room but maybe this was a memory rather than actually smelling it.
Alex is in a coma and unlikely to ever wake up yet is girlfriend Bea is by his side in the hope he'll show signs of improvement his family and friends are slowly losing faith and all Alex can do is listen. Alex soon begins to suspect that the accident that put him here wasn’t really an accident and as his memories come flooding back he begins to realise he may not be the only one in trouble. Through Alex's narrative we are revealed clues from his past which he uses to find out who tried to kill him before they decide to pull his life support.
Now it sounds absolutely gripping however the setting up of the novel was incredibly slow and it was hard to get through and I couldn't connect with any of the characters including Alex. However it must be said as the book came to an end there was that slight bit of sympathy I felt for him as his voice stuck inside his vegetative state gave a very claustrophobic feeling which I found uneasy. Finally I'm no Doctor so I can't really comment yet I find it baffling that someone in a coma could have such a strong neurological response to the people around him yet there were no signs of him being "alive" to friends, family and doctors - for example he could smell cigarette smoke and perfume when Bea was in the room but maybe this was a memory rather than actually smelling it.