Talk to Her (2002)
9.0
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Movie
Acclaimed Spanish drama from Pedro Almodóvar, frequently voted one of the best films of the 21st...
girlfriend in a coma
Miss March (2009)
4.7
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Movie Watch
On the night that he and his high-school sweetheart, Cindi, plan to consummate their love, Eugene...
Ben Again
Book
Ben was only 27 when he and his girlfriend, Jazz, were hit by a car while on holiday in the...
If I Die Before I Wake
7.7
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Book
HOW DO YOU SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER? Everyone believes Alex is in a coma, unlikely to ever wake up....
Thriller mystery
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Big Sick (2017) in Movies
Mar 13, 2018
Possibly I am just biased as Nanjiani seems like a man after my own heart (X-Files fan, plus the first thing he does when he takes a woman home is show her an early 70s Vincent Price horror movie - did I mention I'm single?), but this manages to be both touching and funny. Good support from Ray Romano and Holly Hunter as Kazan's parents; manages to deal with some fairly serious issues with a light touch. Works hard to earn its happy ending; an immensely likeable film.
Sisters and Lies
10.0
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Book
Two sisters, one dangerous truth.... One hot August night, Rachel Darcy gets the call everyone...
crime fiction
Moon's Web (A Tale of the Sazi, #2)
4.0
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Book
Tony Giodone made his living as an assassin--until one of his marks ripped his throat out and turned...
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated If I Die Before I Wake in Books
Jul 31, 2018
The central character, Alex, wakes up to find he has been in coma for over a year – but everyone still thinks he is in the coma – he cannot move a finger. He gathers from his visitors that he had an accident while rock climbing but he has no recollection of what happened. Half way through the book Alex finds out that he was a victim of attempted murder, and tries his utmost to work out who would want to do it and how it could have happened. Simultaneously he tries desperately to show everyone that he’s awake.
I found the author’s storytelling a little jumpy. The book is written as a stream of consciousness from the protagonist. A protagonist who is often sleepy at vital times, often delirious, and although he is often looking back at his personal life, he also manages to block out important memories.
It was a long wait before Alex found out about the attempted murder, but I knew it was coming from the book description I had read. And the author did have plenty to write about up to that point, and this was deliberately void of focus. One minute Alex is describing how he met his girlfriend, and soon after it swings to overhearing discussions about stopping his food. The author paints a good picture of Alex and his life before the accident.
Telling a story where the main character can’t so much as chew his own food must be no mean feat, but the author pulls it off expertly. There are several characters and sub plots, with past mistakes, an aggravated police officer, moody relatives, a hidden crush, a strange threatening letter, a possible pregnancy, and a proposal that never went ahead. Koch draws you in to Alex’s world, with characters you love to hate and hidden agendas to question.
Of course we do find out whodunit (no spoilers!) but this is done with more of the story to come.
That said I would have preferred more overheard dialogue at this part, though I did find the ending particularly fitting for the character.
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