The Strange Case of Jane O.

A Novel

By: Karen Thompson Walker

Narrated by: Jay Myers, Alex Sarrigeorgiou

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 Belletrist Book Club Pick

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.

©2025 Karen Thompson Walker (P)2025 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Quiet, cool-toned. . . . Scenes vibrate with the high-key hopes and anxieties of adolescence, the inherent loneliness of being a person in the world.”—The New York Times

“A mesmerizing tale about the mysteries of the brain, the limits of rationality and the magic of love.”—People

“Engrossing . . . Sculpting a novel that conveys vastness through inner lives alone is a tremendous challenge. Making that same novel a page-turning mystery that’s simultaneously moving and often nail-biting is another challenge altogether. With The Strange Case of Jane O., Karen Thompson Walker rises to meet both of these challenges head-on, and succeeds.”—BookPage

Compelling psychological mystery

This story was riveting and nuanced and went in ways that I did not except! I highly recommend this book.

The performances were soul-reaching

What a beautiful story, thoughtfully worded, each phrase carefully crafted. Instead the usual rollercoaster of a mystery, Karen Thompson Walker allows us to float on a river along with the characters. We follow a few boats behind in order to protect their private moments.

Plodding, inane.

I cannot recommend this book, neither for the writing nor for the performance. One would think the plot would reveal itself, characters come to life, and/or voice actors be so compelling in the delivery of even this ear-bleed of a listen to pull it out of the proverbial ditch. Yet, no. No redeeming aspects to be found! Would that I could fold back the arrow of time to advise my pre-purchase self of this.