I recently read this comment regarding Before I Go to Sleep....
For example, I'm currently reading "Before I Go To Sleep" by S J Watson - the book is definitely a page turner and has an exciting and original story, BUT - this book is set in London, England. The characters are English yet the main character, Christine (who has lost over 20 years of her memories, I may add, so isn't influenced by US TV etc) constantly uses very American words and phrases that us Brits never use such as "peanut butter and jelly sandwich", "cell phone" , "candy" , "panties" , "closet" amongst many others. It just really irritates me that better research wasn't carried out and it wasn't edited well enough as other than this I would give this book 5 stars easily.
And the worst thing is - the author is English!
It's not the first comment I've received with the same complaint, so I thought I'd just clarify things for those that are upset or disappointed by the vocabulary in the book. There are two English language versions of Before I Go to Sleep - one which is available in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and one which is available in the US and Canada.
In one version the book has diapers, sidewalks, closets, peanut butter and jelly and cell phones etc., and in the other it has nappies, pavements, wardrobes, and mobile phones. I can't remember what replaces peanut butter and jelly, I'm afraid, but it's probably something involving jam. Otherwise the versions are exactly the same - there are no differences in plot, character or anything else.
The decision to make these changes was taken in conjunction with my US editor. My understanding is that it happens frequently in order to make books more understandable to a US audience - whether it is necessary or right to do that isn't something I want to comment on, other than to say I have been asked whether I think these changes "compromise my writing" and the answer is : no, I don't. The changes result from a trade-off between authenticity and readability for US and Canadian audiences - and I hope we have the balance right.
