WHAT!!! Like WAIT, WHAT?!! This was such a good and perfectly paced read. The plot was original and engaging and yeah…. Slam dunk and I’m buying the physical copy. Absolutely no brainer that this was also picked up by aardvark for a book pick because it’s just…. Such an immersive experience. Loved it.

WOW! what an amazingly, interesting story! The story is told from two perspectives - the patient and her therapist in complimentary sides of the story. A mother is struck by sudden and puzzling psychological symptoms that illuminate the mysterious dimensions of the human mind—and of love. Love, loss, parents, pandemic, mental illness all make for a complicated and interesting story!

This was a weird one. I loved that it was fully ground scifi. You could choose to believe Jane’s time slips or not. It had a sort of unreliable narrators quality as well. So, really, I’m not quite sure what to believe in the end and I think that’s a successful book.

This was the most unique novel I’ve read in a while. Not just unique by concept, but also unique by writing style.

The alternating narrative between psychiatrist and patient beautifully captured unreliability on both sides. However, the overarching “sci-fi” connection was the most beautiful piece of this work of art. There’s nothing better than a book that changes your perception on the human existence - this book is that.

I don’t know what else to say besides that I loved this and I want a physical copy.

Thank you deeply to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the advance digital review copy!

Jane has an unusually sharp memory. She can remember details unlike anyone else. When she goes missing and has no recollection of what happened to her when she was gone, her psychiatrist, Dr Byrd is determined to unlock the mysteries of her brain. To help her, he suggests she keep a journal so Jane writes letters to her in infant son. Through her letters, the reader gets a look into Jane’s back story. But as Dr Byrd soon learns, Jane’s memories aren’t as reliable as once thought as she goes missing again and suffers from amnesia and hallucinations and distorted reality.

This was a strange novel with Jane geo g unreliable and Dr Byrd has his own motives as well. Both have in common that they are single parents, though due to very different circumstances. The premise of this novel was intriguing but also left me with many unresolved questions. Maybe that was the point of the novel.

The Strange Case of Jane O. Is a psychological thriller about a therapist and his patient - a woman who blacks out for days, has premonitions and appears to have a photographic memory but what is it a memory of? This book was so gripping and I had no idea where it was going. Little clues were dropped but then twists came out of nowhere, making me gasp. It was very clever in how it was written as almost doctor’s notes by the therapist and so clever in how it all unfolded and tied together. All of the details were so carefully placed. A definite page turner

Such a weird one! I was definitely invested. Ended up listening to the audio which was great. Wish there was more resolution, but get why there can't be.

The Strange Case of Jane O.
By Karen Thompson Walker

This is a book that will either grab you from the start – or not. A psychiatrist, Dr. Henry Byrd, meets a new patient he calls Jane in his notes to her patient file. After their first brief session, Jane disappears, only to be found 25 hours later in a park in a fugue state. She has no memory of what has happened to her during that time. She is hospitalized and lists Dr. Byrd as her physician.

From this point on, Jane seems to present with a variety of issues, including meeting and speaking with a man who has been dead for twenty years. She also proves to Dr. Byrd that she has hyperthymesia, the ability to remember basically everything she has ever experienced. This is a very rare condition which fascinates her psychiatrist.

As well as the interactions between Dr. Byrd and Jane, the psychiatrist also has his own on-going issues. As the story progresses it gets weirder and weirder. While this should have pulled me as the reader in, I just found myself losing interest. While the writing here excellent, the story itself left me bored.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book is written from the notes of a psychiatrist and a journal of one of his patients. I don't think that this is a thriller. It's more of a speculative fiction than a mystery. Overall, I really liked it and I would definitely recommend it.

Jane is a new mom who begins experiencing periods of memory loss and amnesia, feelings of dread, and sees a man she once knew who died 20 years previously. I think it is best to know as little as possible going in, and just experience it as it unfolds. It is mostly told from her psychiatrist's notes, though we also hear from Jane, partly via letters she writes to her young son. I really loved the mystery of what was happening to her, as well as the explanation. It blew me away, and I am still thinking about it. The exploration of love, memory, time was so well-done. Highly recommend to anyone with an interest in psychiatry and/or a literary puzzle. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy. 4.5/5 stars.

4.5 stars
Wow, this one had me thinking. While the pace in this one is quite slow, Walker develops the character of Jane as we go along while building the plot to the ultimate brain bender!
This book grabbed me from the beginning and did not let go. It is so interesting the way Walker presents this story from a psychiatrist's point of view, writing about his patient, Jane. We do get to hear Jane's perspective too. This one is really hard for me to review because I feel like whatever I say will be a spoiler. Let me just say that this story ended up having me reflect on the what-if's in life and wondering if there might be more to reality than we really know.

Thank you to Random House and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Jane is a woman struggling with her memory and she attends Dr. Byrd's office to see what is going on. This story is told from 2 POVs, one from Dr. Byrd and the other is from letters that Jane writes to her young son Caleb. Jane is sure she knew Dr Byrd as a patient of his from 20 years ago but when he researches the date in his files he finds she has been mistaken. So how can she describe every item on his bookshelf at home and what his late wife was wearing on that particular day? I was enjoying this one but I feel I have missed out on something as I really don't know what the amazing twist is that everyone is talking about. I honestly couldn't tell you what the outcome of this story is. Jane loses moments in time where she doesn't know what happened so what happens to her young son when these missing times occur? Did she really have a son, did she really know Dr. Bryd or was this from another lifetime?.....let me know when you figure it out.....Enjoy!!!

3.5/5

Light spoilers ahead.

I would say that my experience with this book was comparable to reading through The Silent Patient, albeit without the murder. The parallels aren't too difficult to see: you have a psychiatrist who is fully (and borderline obsessively) intent on a 'very special case' of a patient; the narrative plays around with the concept of unreliable narrators and reality; twists are littered all across the story. The framework is not the only manner in which the two works intersect, as both rely on two different kinds of voices to unravel the overarching mystery (that of a highly-educated, over-analytic individual and their more emotional but still very hyper-aware opposite).

Like that previous experience, this was a very quick read. Two hours tops. And I will give credit to the writing being beautiful and the care to the research behind it all shining through, but I can't say that I was particularly moved by what I read. It was all "okay," but a pretty kind of "okay."

The sci-fi aspects of the plot may have been introduced a little too late to fully meld together with the rest of the work. There were times wherein it felt more like what's the standard modern-day approach to remakes and sequels, rather than a genuine exploration of that particular theme. I also think that it could have benefited from showcasing more of Jane's perspective, if not just for the deeper connection to her psyche (which is supposed to be a focal point), then to more-firmly establish her voice beyond only being the "person in the headlines" -type of character, only there for observation. That might be the weakest aspect of the book for me— that for a story with so many emotional components, I had difficulty with fully latching onto them. That part of my speed with reading was from skimming over the surface-level repetitiveness.

Again, it was "okay," but a pretty kind of "okay."

My thanks to the author (Karen Thompson Walker), the publisher (Random House), and NetGalley for providing the eARC from which I was able to write this review.

Readers are left wondering what is real and what is imagined in this psychological thriller about a New York City public librarian and single mother, and her therapist, who is a widower and a single father. As a teenager, Jane was traumatized by the suicide of Nico, a fellow student she met during a summer study session in New York City. Jane, who is known to have an exceptional memory, begins experiencing blackouts. A few years later as a single, working mother, Jane disappears and is found in a field. After that episode, Jane and her son, Caleb go missing and are found living in Nico's family's apartment. Her doctor, Henry Byrd, has his own issues, as he opens a private practice after being discredited by his colleagues for his research. The Strange Case of Jane O leaves readers with questions and, for that reason, it is recommended for discussion groups.

The Strange Case of Jane O. is a beautifully written, thought-provoking novel that blurs the lines between psychology, reality, and memory. Karen Thompson Walker weaves together two compelling perspectives—Jane, a young mother experiencing unsettling psychological episodes, and Dr. Byrd, the psychiatrist drawn into the mystery of her unraveling mind. After Jane goes missing and is later found unconscious with no memory of what happened, the novel delves more deeply into her dissociative fugue state, her eerie visions of a man long dead, and the possibility that her mind is revealing truths about time and space that defy logic.
This isn’t a traditional mystery in the whodunit sense, and readers expecting a straightforward plot with clear resolutions may find themselves searching for answers. But as a work of literary fiction, the novel excels in its careful exploration of the mind’s complexities and the nature of the reality of the universe and human perception of it. Walker masterfully balances unsettling tension with deep emotional insight, making this a fascinating and immersive read.
I gave this book 4.5 stars rounded op for its compelling characters, rich psychological depth, and masterful storytelling.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an advance copy of this book. My review is voluntary and reflects my honest opinion.

I didn't love this one like I fully expected to. Psychology meets multiverse should have been everything I could want. It definitely shouldn't have felt as mundane as it did while reading it. This premise had so much potential that ultimately fell flat. Nothing was ever fully fleshed out or expounded upon. The relationship wasn't developed enough, so that when it came about it felt jarring and uncomfortable. This story should have been incredible. Both the character and plot arcs needed more depth.

I absolutely loved THE DREAMERS so I was delighted when I noticed that the author had a new book coming out! I wasn't sure what to expect but, thankfully, this was just as wonderful an experience as I had with her previous novel; now, I need to read the rest of her backlist! THE STRANGE CASE OF JANE O. is such an engaging, unique story and I was intrigued from the start; highly recommend!

This book was definitely a slow burn but so eerily captivating. The POV from the psychiatrist is very clinical in tone which in the beginning I wanted to flip past but towards the end conveys the seriousness of the mystery. It's really hard to review without giving any details away! The less you know the better to enjoy the twists and turns.

3.5 ⭐️

Jane, a new mother, experiences unsettling blackouts, during which she vanishes for days without any memory of what happened. The police are skeptical of her claims, dismissing her lack of recollection. It's up to the flawed psychiatrist, Dr. Byrd, to help Jane uncover the truth behind her mysterious condition, all while others begin to doubt her sanity.

The narrative is revealed through alternating viewpoints, including Dr. Byrd's clinical notes and Jane's journal entries, written as letters to her infant son.

This book was very interesting but for me it was a bit wordy and slow. Once I got to about 75% it picked up pace but until then I found myself putting this one down mins after picking it up so It took awhile to get through it.

I’m also not a huge sci-fi fan, so that doesn’t appeal to me as much.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who is fascinated with mental illness of the mind and likes sci-fi.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this free arc in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Author,

When I found this e-arc on NetGalley I flipped out with happiness! I love your books, your wonderful pros, your characters well flushed out and relatable, plus you always have great twists. This book was fantastic! I'm already handselling this at my store!

Warmest Regards,

J.D. McCoughtry

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for this e-ARC.