The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson WalkerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
As with many a book by Karen Thompson Walker, this is a weird but mesmerizing story. It revolves around a psychiatrist, Dr. Byrd, and his patient, Jane, who seems to be losing time, hallucinating, blacking out, and more. She's found in a local NYC park, with no idea of how she got there or what happened before she arrived. Jane is a new mother--and single parent--to her young son Caleb and Dr. Byrd is trying to determine if her symptoms are related to her newfound motherhood or something else.
The book has a vague, hazy feel, where you never know quite what is real, even between Jane's version (including journal entries) and Dr. Byrd's account of their sessions. It doesn't help when we learn that Dr. Byrd has a slightly disgraced past.
Jane is a confusing but sympathetic character. Why is this happening to her? Is tied to the loss of someone she cared about when she was 17? Or is she simply an overworked and exhausted mother whose body and mind have been pushed too far? Beyond trying to figure out what is happening to Jane, the book posits that motherhood can slowly erase parts of your self.
This is a quiet sort of book, filled with lots of thinking and discussion, but it's fascinating. I won't say much more to ruin any of the plot twists. It's a different read, but a good one.
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