About This Book:
In this spellbinding and provocative novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles, a young mother is struck by sudden and puzzling psychological symptoms that illuminate the mysterious dimensions of the human mind—and of love.
A year after her child is born, Jane suffers a series of strange episodes: amnesia, premonitions, hallucinations, and an inexplicable sense of dread. Three days after her first visit to a psychiatrist, Jane suddenly goes missing. A day later she is found unconscious in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, in the midst of what seems to be an episode of dissociative fugue; when she comes to, she has no memory of what has happened to her.
Are Jane’s strange experiences the result of being overwhelmed by motherhood, or are they manifestations of a long-buried trauma from her past? Why is she having visions of a young man who died twenty years ago and who warns her of a disaster ahead? Jane’s symptoms lead her psychiatrist ever deeper into the farthest reaches of her mind and cause him to question everything he thinks he knows about so-called reality—including events in his own life.
Karen Thompson Walker’s profound and beautifully written novel is both a speculative mystery about memory, identity, and fate and a mesmerizing literary puzzle about the bonds of love—between mother and child, between a man and a woman, and among those we’ve lost but who may still be among us.
My Thoughts After Reading:
I have been really into genre-bending books lately. When authors pull elements from different literary genres, they create such unique narratives – the best of all worlds! The Strange Case of Jane O. author, Karen Thompson Walker, accomplishes just that! This book cocktail includes: two parts psychological mystery, one part speculative fiction, one part literary fiction and a splash of romance.
This review is difficult to write because to share why I loved it might give away too much, detracting from your reading experience. You can extrapolate from that then that the revealing connections and unexpected twists are top notch leading us to a satisfying conclusion. One critic would be the pacing – strong start, slower middle and propulsive end but worth it all the same!
I also really enjoyed the unique perspectives and mediums. It’s written dually as case notes from psychiatrist, Dr. Byrd, and journal entries/letters from his patient, Jane O., to her young son. This gives the book a very distinct tone.
The Strange Case of Jane O. earned a spot on my reread list – a rare feat! Knowing what to look for, a reread would surely unearth Easter eggs and puzzle pieces adding to the magic of this book.
-Michelle
