A review by shelleys_book_nook
The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker

adventurous challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is written in a way that it feels like you're reading a doctor's case notes and a journal written by one of his patients, and I loved it. It’s told from two points of view, Jane the patient and her psychiatrist, Dr. Byrd. The writing is very dry because it is a very clinical tale but it is also very straight to the point, which was another aspect I enjoyed.

The book is twisty, but not in the way you may think and it's also very intelligently written. It's a very good character study and case study if you will. This was an utterly unique premise that was executed wonderfully. I highly recommend going into this one blind because the less you know the more interesting it will be. I will say it's a multi-genre tale. It's science fiction, mystery, suspense and literary fiction all rolled into one and it’s done extremely well.

I am left wondering if this will be a series and I certainly hope so because I would love to go on another Journey with Jane to see how she and Caleb are doing in the future. That says a lot because I am not into reading series. The blurb says it's a literary puzzle and pieces of the puzzle fit together nicely by the end but you'll still close this book scratching your head and wanting more. That’s why I hope there is another book on the horizon. I was surprised by this one, in a really good way.

I just want to add that I loved the name of the bookstore in the story. I thought it was fabulous that the author came up with that.