What do you think?
Rate this book
The Day I Died
Can you walk away from your own life?
Dark, disturbing and utterly enthralling women’s fiction from a stunning UK talent.
It's 4am, London and a young woman comes to amidst sirens and screams – the result of a bomb that has left utter carnage in its wake. Wearing the remains of a tattered black dress and wrapped in a filthy blanket, she is utterly unaware of where – and more importantly – who she is.
Disorientated by overwhelming feelings of shame and guilt, the woman picks up an abandoned wallet from the gutter and, following her instincts, flees the scene. Escaping on a bus into a remote country village, she adopts the name 'Jo' in place of the identity that still eludes her.
Jo quickly builds herself a new life in the country, finding a job and settling into a new community. But fragmented pieces of her past keep encroaching on her present – from the realisation that she is an alcoholic, to a chance meeting with a man that triggers flashbacks – and Jo is forced to solve the mystery of her own identity.
But as she pieces together her past – and in doing so uncovers some shocking secrets about her old life – can Jo face the truth of who she is really is?
Dark, disturbing and utterly enthralling women’s fiction from a stunning UK talent.
It's 4am, London and a young woman comes to amidst sirens and screams – the result of a bomb that has left utter carnage in its wake. Wearing the remains of a tattered black dress and wrapped in a filthy blanket, she is utterly unaware of where – and more importantly – who she is.
Disorientated by overwhelming feelings of shame and guilt, the woman picks up an abandoned wallet from the gutter and, following her instincts, flees the scene. Escaping on a bus into a remote country village, she adopts the name 'Jo' in place of the identity that still eludes her.
Jo quickly builds herself a new life in the country, finding a job and settling into a new community. But fragmented pieces of her past keep encroaching on her present – from the realisation that she is an alcoholic, to a chance meeting with a man that triggers flashbacks – and Jo is forced to solve the mystery of her own identity.
But as she pieces together her past – and in doing so uncovers some shocking secrets about her old life – can Jo face the truth of who she is really is?
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2009
9 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Polly Courtney
9 books37 followersPolly Courtney is the author of seven novels and is a regular commentator on TV and radio. She rose to fame in 2006 with her semi-autobiographical account of life in the Square Mile, Golden Handcuffs, although it was never her intention to become a writer; she simply wanted to expose the high-flying City life 'for what it really is'.
Having discovered her passion, she went on to write Poles Apart, a novel based on her Polish migrant friend's story, and a raft of books covering themes such as sexism, racism, "lads' mag" culture and the wealth divide, all with a light-hearted, humorous slant. Courtney's most recent novel, Feral Youth, is set on the streets of south London and delves into the frustrations that led to the summer riots.
In late 2011, on the publication of her sixth novel, It’s a Man’s World, Courtney famously walked out on her publisher, HarperCollins, frustrated by the 'chick lit' titles and covers being assigned to her books. She went on to self-publish her future novels and now gives regular masterclasses in self-publishing.
The west London novelist also plays violin in a semi-professional string quartet, No Strings Attached, and competes for her local side in the London women’s football league.
Having discovered her passion, she went on to write Poles Apart, a novel based on her Polish migrant friend's story, and a raft of books covering themes such as sexism, racism, "lads' mag" culture and the wealth divide, all with a light-hearted, humorous slant. Courtney's most recent novel, Feral Youth, is set on the streets of south London and delves into the frustrations that led to the summer riots.
In late 2011, on the publication of her sixth novel, It’s a Man’s World, Courtney famously walked out on her publisher, HarperCollins, frustrated by the 'chick lit' titles and covers being assigned to her books. She went on to self-publish her future novels and now gives regular masterclasses in self-publishing.
The west London novelist also plays violin in a semi-professional string quartet, No Strings Attached, and competes for her local side in the London women’s football league.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 9, 2019
The Day I Died
Polly Courtney
Avon
468 pages
2009
Honestly....i put this book away for two weeks in a corner after few chapters.
Feeling of disowned and confused.
Afraid of what actually happened to the main character and where this book might lead in the end.
: I am some of those
who hate to skip the chapters
and cheat the reading density
🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗
I realized then, I judged a person without really stood by her. She was afraid. She was alone....
So I picked up the book and glad i never thought twice.
Why she found herself conscious in the middle of the blast incident? Didn't even know who she was before....and who she choose to be now?
She struggled herself to live her life.
Trying her best to know who she really was and why she ended up in a place where everyone around her doesn't even care.
Finding herself rescued by people she barely knew. She was then surrounded with strangers who loves her before she is strong enough accepting herself.
Polly Courtney
Avon
468 pages
2009
Honestly....i put this book away for two weeks in a corner after few chapters.
Feeling of disowned and confused.
Afraid of what actually happened to the main character and where this book might lead in the end.
: I am some of those
who hate to skip the chapters
and cheat the reading density
🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗
I realized then, I judged a person without really stood by her. She was afraid. She was alone....
So I picked up the book and glad i never thought twice.
Why she found herself conscious in the middle of the blast incident? Didn't even know who she was before....and who she choose to be now?
She struggled herself to live her life.
Trying her best to know who she really was and why she ended up in a place where everyone around her doesn't even care.
Finding herself rescued by people she barely knew. She was then surrounded with strangers who loves her before she is strong enough accepting herself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2009
An Amazon Vine book - I really enjoyed this book! It's one of those that has you vowing to "just read until the end of this chapter" and then "just one more". The blurb on the back says that this book will appeal to fans of Sophie Hannah and Maggie O'Farrell and I would agree on both counts, although for me The Day I Died could do with just a tad more spit and polish (and that's the only reason for dropping one star) as the coincidences and implausablilities were a little too rife.
The story is of a young girl in her early twenties who gets caught up in a bomb blast at a London nightclub. She's badly shaken but doesn't appear to have any more injuries other than she can't remember who she is or where she came from other than a feeling of having to run away. Setting off on a London night bus in nothing more than a skimpy clubbing dress (that is ripped to ribbons) and the coat that a paramedic puts round her shoulders (and the wallet of a man called Joe Simmonds in the pocket) she arrives early next morning in a sleepy Oxfordshire village...........I don't want to ruin the story but there are mini-twists enough to keep us turning those pages.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and I would certinaly read future novels by this author. Perhaps that polish will come experience and I look forward to reading more by Polly Courtney. A good fun read.
The story is of a young girl in her early twenties who gets caught up in a bomb blast at a London nightclub. She's badly shaken but doesn't appear to have any more injuries other than she can't remember who she is or where she came from other than a feeling of having to run away. Setting off on a London night bus in nothing more than a skimpy clubbing dress (that is ripped to ribbons) and the coat that a paramedic puts round her shoulders (and the wallet of a man called Joe Simmonds in the pocket) she arrives early next morning in a sleepy Oxfordshire village...........I don't want to ruin the story but there are mini-twists enough to keep us turning those pages.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and I would certinaly read future novels by this author. Perhaps that polish will come experience and I look forward to reading more by Polly Courtney. A good fun read.
February 18, 2011
i really loved this book!! at the beginning just by reading the back cover i thought it was a really good idea for a story, but not having read any books by this author before, i didnt know if Polly Courtney's style of writing could pull it off. well i shouldn't have worried at all!! i couldn't stop reading!! it was such a good book! the story is great and the characters are so realistic and easy to relate to!! i liked how the book started with the main character not knowing anything about her self because its like as she is finding out more about her self and discovering who she was we are also learning it and are on that journey with her!! fantastic book with great writing!! im going to recommend this book to all my friends!!! loved it and definitely going to read it again!! one of my favourites!
December 29, 2025
*3.5 Stars*
This book had a very interesting concept, what would you do if you woke up and had no idea who you were? As the memories started to come back would you return to your old life or embrace the new one you had created?
While the concept was good it felt a little long winded in places, for me a shorter sharper read would have probably been prefered. There was also some parts that just stretched a bit too much to be believed, how many jobs can one person be offered with no qualifications, no ID and not even a bank account?
As the mystery of who she is slowly gets revealed, the main character flip flops between which life she wants to live until everything seems to miraculously fall into place for her.
This book had a very interesting concept, what would you do if you woke up and had no idea who you were? As the memories started to come back would you return to your old life or embrace the new one you had created?
While the concept was good it felt a little long winded in places, for me a shorter sharper read would have probably been prefered. There was also some parts that just stretched a bit too much to be believed, how many jobs can one person be offered with no qualifications, no ID and not even a bank account?
As the mystery of who she is slowly gets revealed, the main character flip flops between which life she wants to live until everything seems to miraculously fall into place for her.
March 16, 2023
It’s a good book. Took me kinda long to read. I loved how the action started in the first chapter and I didn’t have to read like half of the book for the action to finally start. I would take out some chapters that I felt like were pointless to the story and were kinda boring. But overall it was a good book.
October 18, 2022
The story is good (?) but it was such a hard read.
Read
January 16, 2023DNF
September 17, 2023
Something else and it is very heartwarming!
September 9, 2024
Didn't enjoy the style and language of writing.
March 3, 2020
Brilliant book very enjoyable had me grabbed from the very beginning. Hope to see a prequel to this.
September 27, 2012
I know that fiction is just that, but this book really pushes it to the limit.
We are supposed to believe firstly that London's night buses spend their days in a depot in Oxford, despite there being many, many depots in London itself. Then, we are led to believe that our "heroine", who has just escaped a bomb blast, is wearing tattered clothes and is all battered and scraped up, has the presence of mind to seize upon the identity of some bloke whose jacket she's wearing, and that dressed as such (and with no shoes), she walks into a job because the proprietor of the café thinks she's the foreign girl he interviewed recently. Then, an old dear takes her into her home, despite the fact that she hasn't got the first clue who she is. But the one which did it for me is that this person, with a fake CV and an ID which does not belong to her, managed to walk into a job working with vulnerable children. And not only that, but she managed to persuade them to pay her in cash. In order to work with children, one would need to be vetted and CRB checked. And if someone is going for any job at all, these days an employer needs to see a passport as proof that you are legal to work in the UK. Had the author of this book taken just a short time to do some actual research, she would have discovered this. The entire thing was so far fetched that it totally spoiled any enjoyment I might have got from reading it.
Also, there were so many sub-plots which went completely unfinished. "Jo" is an alcoholic but that seemed to be forgotten partway through, and for someone with an addiction, she seemed to be managing very well without her fix. We never really found out what the bomb plot was all about. The entire reason that "Jo" wanted to run away from her life in London was sort of explained, but it didn't really make a huge deal of sense to be honest. And while I'm talking about her life in London, when she did manage to find out who she actually was, there was no mention of what happened to her flat, her possessions, etc.
In all, this is a book which could have been a really cracking read. From reading the blurb about it, I had expected a fast paced thriller, filled with twists and turns. What I got was second rate chick lit, a plot full of holes and a story so unbelievable that it pushed fiction into the realms of fantasy.
Very, very disappointing.
We are supposed to believe firstly that London's night buses spend their days in a depot in Oxford, despite there being many, many depots in London itself. Then, we are led to believe that our "heroine", who has just escaped a bomb blast, is wearing tattered clothes and is all battered and scraped up, has the presence of mind to seize upon the identity of some bloke whose jacket she's wearing, and that dressed as such (and with no shoes), she walks into a job because the proprietor of the café thinks she's the foreign girl he interviewed recently. Then, an old dear takes her into her home, despite the fact that she hasn't got the first clue who she is. But the one which did it for me is that this person, with a fake CV and an ID which does not belong to her, managed to walk into a job working with vulnerable children. And not only that, but she managed to persuade them to pay her in cash. In order to work with children, one would need to be vetted and CRB checked. And if someone is going for any job at all, these days an employer needs to see a passport as proof that you are legal to work in the UK. Had the author of this book taken just a short time to do some actual research, she would have discovered this. The entire thing was so far fetched that it totally spoiled any enjoyment I might have got from reading it.
Also, there were so many sub-plots which went completely unfinished. "Jo" is an alcoholic but that seemed to be forgotten partway through, and for someone with an addiction, she seemed to be managing very well without her fix. We never really found out what the bomb plot was all about. The entire reason that "Jo" wanted to run away from her life in London was sort of explained, but it didn't really make a huge deal of sense to be honest. And while I'm talking about her life in London, when she did manage to find out who she actually was, there was no mention of what happened to her flat, her possessions, etc.
In all, this is a book which could have been a really cracking read. From reading the blurb about it, I had expected a fast paced thriller, filled with twists and turns. What I got was second rate chick lit, a plot full of holes and a story so unbelievable that it pushed fiction into the realms of fantasy.
Very, very disappointing.
December 7, 2010
What's a girl to do in the aftermath of a bomb explosion at a nightclub, with absolutely no memory of who she is or how she came to be there in the first place? In The Day I Died, she runs away, takes on a new identity and tries to start a new life. But "Jo" soon discovers that running away from your past - even one you've forgotten - is not really possible. The premise showed promise (is that a type of ryhthmic alliteration?), however personally I don't feel that The Day I Died ever lived up to its full potential. Capturing its reader fairly early with the allure of a juicy mystery, the character of Jo Simmons is too reliant on stereotypical circumstance guiding her flighty actions and certainly the mystery ends with an unsatisfying fizz for me. Having said that, Polly Courtney's writing style is an easy one to read. It was just a shame that the climactic punchline of this book really wasn't - well, climactic.
March 4, 2012
From the blurb and the cover (I realise that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but sometimes I do, ok?!) I was expecting a mystery, a thriller, suspense, intrigue. What I actually go was run of the mill, average chic-lit.
Too much of it was implausible and highly unlikely (erm, hiring nay begging someone to work with vulnerable kids despite the fact they use 2 different names, have no ID then agreeing to pay them in cash?) That's not to say I always expect realism from a book, I like to escape with the best of 'em, but if you're going to stretch conceivability, you need to do it well.
A good concept, not very well executed.
Too much of it was implausible and highly unlikely (erm, hiring nay begging someone to work with vulnerable kids despite the fact they use 2 different names, have no ID then agreeing to pay them in cash?) That's not to say I always expect realism from a book, I like to escape with the best of 'em, but if you're going to stretch conceivability, you need to do it well.
A good concept, not very well executed.
June 29, 2017
The character (who uses 2 names) loses her memory, is afraid to go to the police, goes on the run and this is the tale of her finding who she really is and what she wants to do with her life. Most of it is written as a mystery, drip feeding the reader information to allow you to play along, this bit I loved. Once you know who and what she is you're left with her deciding what to do with her life. I enjoyed this bit less but still a nice book and an easy read.I personally prefer something a bit older as i'm a fan of the classics but those of you into modern mystery literature (with no blood and guts) will love this.
March 14, 2012
I picked this book randomly at the Sunday Bazaar in Karachi. I didn't have time to stop and look at books but I needed something to read so I randomly picked three books. This being one of them. (PS: I wasn't happy with any of the three).
The theme for the novel is really good. A girl who wakes up after a bomb blast and doesn't remember anything from her past. she flees the scene and starts a new life. However, this novel could have been much better than what it is. Its like you wait for something big to happen and nothing happens. :)
The theme for the novel is really good. A girl who wakes up after a bomb blast and doesn't remember anything from her past. she flees the scene and starts a new life. However, this novel could have been much better than what it is. Its like you wait for something big to happen and nothing happens. :)
November 7, 2012
I felt like throwing this book accross the room after about the third page but perservered until the end, which felt like several lifetimes. The essential plot was excellent, which was why I bought the book in the first place, however the story fell flat very quickly and the suspense just wasn't present. I tried hard to like the protagonist but she was so irritating I was disappointed she wasn't killed by the bomb explosion at the very beginning. Not recommended.
February 24, 2013
After reading the first few pages, I had high hopes for this book. The initial chapters built up the suspense, and the confusion in the main character's mind hinted at something sinister having happened in her past. I was set for a good read but was disappointed overall. I found the characters too shallow and wished that the author had given them more depth. The book had the potential to be really edgy - instead the storyline was weak and the ending predictable.
July 4, 2011
Last night , I finished " the day I died" and I thought that this book worth reading really. Well I liked the story and how "Jo" managed her life after the amnesia and then I liked the main character "Jo" and I loved the character of Saskia , Matt's character wasn't bad and I loved the presence of Pearl she gives a mother-feeling ^_^ Well I think it's a good book you probably should read it ^_^
June 13, 2009
I bought this because of the blurb. It's based on an idea that I've been playing with myself in one of my novel-writing phases, so I thought I'd give it a go.
I am undeterred by this book - it was fine but will still leave room in the market to explore the idea....
I am undeterred by this book - it was fine but will still leave room in the market to explore the idea....
June 19, 2012
This was one of those books which made you want to keep on reading. I really found it engaging for the majority of the book, but found it dragged slightly around three quarters of the way through. Overall a good easy read.
June 27, 2015
trying to get some lol
September 24, 2011
Not a bad read.
July 18, 2012
Not the best by Polly Courtney but nice read. It's recycling the old age idea of someone turning around their selfish / lavish lives completely and focussing more on helping others.
January 30, 2013
Very enjoyable if far fetched.
September 16, 2012
I liked this, but at times I found myself getting distracted and a little bored.
February 1, 2013
Totally implausible plot line but if you can overlook that it makes for a nice story once you accept the many convenient coincidences
November 12, 2013
A real page turner - an interesting story full of snippets that a lot of people will identify with! Great holiday read.
February 27, 2015
The story is a bit too draggy for my liking though I like the concept of it.
September 21, 2015
'OK' would be my one-worded review of this book. Whilst I didn't dislike it, it didn't really feel like it has much point. Younger female readers may enjoy more.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews