Before I Wake by C.L. Taylor

"Before I Wake" can also be found under the title "The Accident". It is C.L. Taylor's debut novel.

Susan's life is chaotic. Her fifteen year old daughter, Charlotte is in a coma after stepping in front of a bus. Her husband may be cheating on her --- again. Her abusive ex might be stalking her or she could possibly be having another mental breakdown.

Susan has a lot on her plate and when she reads a journal entry of, Charlotte's saying "This secret is killing me" she becomes obsessed with finding out why her intelligent, beautiful and popular daughter  has attempted suicide.

Susan slowly begins to piece things together by doing investigative work.  She interrogates her daughters friends, boyfriend and uses her  daughters phone and journal in order to learn about the days leading up to her daughters attempted suicide.

Taylor is quite clever in switching from present time to the past at pivotal moments. This keeps the reader engaged and turning the pages. "Before I Wake" is an entertaining read but the ending leaves this reader slightly irritated. It's all to coincidental and the plot is left unresolved.

Please note that this novel contains graphic scenes dealing with sex, domestic violence and assault.

Grade: B+