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Learn moreBookseller recommendation
“An evocative, singular, genre-bending psychological mystery that left me absolutely breathless. Gorgeous, compelling prose guided me through this eerie tale that forced me to reckon with the alarming realization that my reality does not necessarily reflect objective truth. I devoured this book as fast as I could, unable to think of anything else until the final moments. I just found a new favorite author!”
— Abigail • E. Shaver, bookseller
Summary
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.
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Audiobook details
Author:
Karen Thompson Walker
Narrators:
Jay Myers & Alex Sarrigeorgiou
ISBN:
9798217065936
Length:
8 hours 13 minutes
Language:
English
Publisher:
Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Publication date:
February 25, 2025
Edition:
Unabridged
Libro.fm rank:
#18,758 Overall
Genre rank:
#947 in Science Fiction
Reviews
“A brilliant and unforgettable novel, at once a metaphysical thriller, a psychological mystery, and a profound love story—a book for every haunted heart. I couldn’t put it down.”—Karen Russell, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Swamplandia!“An astonishing novel—a mind-blowing blend of page-turning mystery and deep philosophical inquiry into the nature of memory and reality itself . . . Karen Thompson Walker has created an unputdownable book (I read it in a single day) with a haunting twist ending I’ll be thinking about for a long time. I’m in awe.”—Angie Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Happiness Falls
“In her brilliant and mesmerizing new novel, Karen Thompson Walker asks thrilling and vital questions about perception, memory, consciousness, and the limits of our known world. Elegant, propulsive, ingeniously structured, and intellectually rich, The Strange Case of Jane O. is both mind-bending and soul-altering. I loved it.”—Jessamine Chan, author of The School for Good Mothers
“This is one of the best books I’ve ever read.”—Olivia Gatwood, author of Whoever You Are, Honey
“Walker (The Dreamers) often juxtaposes the past and what might be the future, to create stories that feel both visceral and luminous. . . . At once quiet and intense, the novel takes an unexpected turn during its final chapters that begs its audience to reread in search of clues. Perfect for readers who like their literary fiction with an edge of psychological mystery.”—Library Journal
“Mesmerizing . . . an alluring vision of how personal history and memory intertwine.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“In the acknowledgments, Thompson Walker writes that she spent years researching this book, and that research is evident. . . . Thompson Walker’s masterful prose propels the reader through this haunting and sublime story. Highly recommended.”—Booklist, starred review
“The relationships among scientific fact, emotion, and psychology are tangled here. No viewpoint is reliable, but no one is wrong. [Walker turns] the narrative on its head in satisfyingly disturbing ways. . . . An exhilarating and riveting must-read and then read-again.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review Expand reviews