Review: Tell me your dreams by Sidney Sheldon

Goodreads rating: 3.95/5

My rating: 4.85/5

'Tell me your dreams' by Sidney Sheldon is about mental health, a unique kind of serial killer, the murder trial and the events that follow after. To say that I enjoyed this book would be an understatement, I stayed up till 6 am just so I could finish the book in one sitting. It was thrilling!

A friend of mine recommended this book when I asked if anyone had any book recommendations related to mental disorders. When I checked online about the story, it implied nothing about mental disorder but I was still curious enough to read it. Thankfully, my free trial on Scribd had not expired yet and the e-book was available. I was mentally prepared to read something else completely but I don't regret postponing reading it, not one bit.

The book is divided into 3 parts. Part 1 is an introduction of the characters and when all the crimes are committed. I have to admit, I had already solved the case midway through part 1 but I think it was mostly because I was primed with the knowledge that the book involves mental health and maybe a little of the fact that I'm a Psychology graduate. That's giving away a lot about the plot so I'm not going to elaborate on it, nobody likes spoilers. Usually solving the case would put me off but I was still curious to know if I was right and how it would play out, Sidney Sheldon's writing is so straightforward and fast paced, he keeps your mind chasing for more of the story.

Part 2 is focused on the murder trial, it put me off a bit because I'm not so sure that the way it ended was very realistic. I think that is the only negative I have on the book though, I loved everything else about it.

Part 3 surprised me the most. I was a bit surprised to even find a part 3 because I thought, "What else can happen after the trial?". Turns out this book is not just about closing cases. If I were a writer, part 3 would be the section that I would dread writing. It's about the events that follow after the court trial and the reason I wouldn't be too excited to write about it is because it would have to be as close to reality as possible. I cannot verify if everything that happens in part 3 is how it could or would be in real life but it felt real. I do have a friend who suffers with the same mental disorder as the one discussed in this but I've never asked questions about how it feels or if he's aware of any episodes because it's a very sensitive topic. Maybe I will now.

Trauma, however, is a big factor here and a lot of us has had some form of trauma at least once in our lives. Everyone has their own way of dealing with it, some bury it deep without knowing what manifests. I hope this book at least teaches us why it is important to allow oneself to heal, that distractions are not solutions and that without stitching up a wound, it will just continue to bleed or get infected. I wish I could tell you more about the story but I would be spoiling the story for ya'll if I did. Please read this book though, I highly recommend it and I'm really glad that my friend let me know about it.

This is not just a crime-mystery book, it gives an insight to the very extreme possibilities of occurrence that come with mental disorders, especially when one is not aware of their mental health. I believe it also breaks the stereotypes imposed on psychopaths and serves as a great medium for mental health awareness.

Parts of the story reminded me of shows like Suits and Freud. In part 2, the lawyer handling the case has a sassy secretary and there's a guy named Harvey in the firm. There's also another lawyer with photographic memory, remind ya'll of anyone? There's also a psychiatrist with a mustache that looks like Freud's who conducts hypnosis. Haha! Seriously, I wonder if shows like Suits and Freud were inspired by this book in any way or if I'm just weird enough to make such connections.

Other than enjoying the story, I'm happy that I was able to tick off two "firsts" with this book. It was my first time reading an e-book on my phone and my first Sidney Sheldon book. I've immediately become a fan of his writing, I can't believe I didn't read any of his books sooner. My dad used to collect his books, I have no idea why I never picked up any of them. Unfortunately, they no longer exist. I'll just have to make a collection of my own. As for reading on my phone, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was, in fact, easier to read on my phone than on my Kindle, probably because my phone is lighter? No idea, but I know for sure that 'Tell me your dreams' wont be the only book I read on my phone.