Goodreads

Release date: February 25, 2025

Publisher: Random House

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery

Synopsis:

In this spellbinding novel, a young mother is struck by a mysterious psychological affliction that illuminates the eerie dimensions of the human mind—and of love. A provocative literary puzzle from the New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles.

In the first year after her child is born, Jane suffers a series of strange episodes: amnesia, premonitions, hallucinations, and an inexplicable sense of dread. As her psychiatrist struggles to solve the mystery of what is happening to Jane’s mind, she 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 related to the overwhelm of single motherhood, or are they the manifestation of a long-buried trauma from her past? Why is she having visions of a young man who died twenty years ago, who warns her of a disaster ahead? Jane’s symptoms lead her psychiatrist ever-deeper into the furthest reaches of her mind, and cause him to question everything he thought he knew about so-called reality—including events in his own life.

Karen Thompson Walker’s profound and beautifully written novel is a speculative mystery about memory, identity, and fate, a mesmerizing story about the bonds of love between a mother and child, a man and a woman, and those who we’ve lost but may still be alive among us.

Review:

This was a totally fascinating read for me, I’ve always been drawn to things dealing with psychology and Jane’s case was super interesting. The format really worked for me, there are sections from Dr. Byrd so you feel like you’re reading his file and case notes on Jane and I’m nosy so that appeals to me. With her case being a true medical mystery I wasn’t sure what would happen and it lent to a quiet and steady style of suspense that got under my skin. The character development was outstanding and I really cared for Jane and her son as well as the doctor. Jane was so complex and endlessly fascinating for me and the ending was satisfying and made me think. Such a unique read!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.