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In 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘖., author Karen Thompson Walker tells an intriguing story that I would characterize as literary fiction with psychological thriller and sci-fi elements. The novel’s point of view shifts back and forth between two narrators: in the present, psychiatrist Dr. Henry Byrd recalls his treatment of a patient he refers to as Jane O.; in the past, Jane herself writes down daily events as letters to her son as part of a therapeutic exercise. At the time of their sessions, Jane is a woman in her late 30s, single mom to an infant, and city librarian who is suffering from hallucinations and bouts of what Dr. Byrd suspects is dissociative fugue—a kind of amnesia where one loses awareness of their identity and memories and feels the need to flee. As they work together, Jane’s episodes continue and her symptoms worsen, leading Dr. Byrd to question her sanity�� and even the nature of reality.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘖. has a captivating plot. I very much wanted to discover the root of Jane’s issues and what would happen to her and her young son. However, I found the narrative pace very slow and the personalities of the characters—despite their extraordinary circumstances—somewhat bland, so this ended up being a surprisingly sluggish read for me. But overall I did enjoy the book and recommend it to those with a propensity for literary fiction with a psychological bent. Thank you to Random House for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.