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3.7 Stars

One Liner: That’s interesting! Not for everyone

Jane O. suffers a few strange episodes in the year after her son’s birth. She has blackouts, hallucinations, amnesia, and a sense of dread that doesn’t leave her alone. She visits a psychiatrist, Dr. Henry, who tries to understand her case in vain.

As Jane’s situation seems to be getting worse, they need to find out the reason. Is it due to the overwhelming life as a single mother or the result of a long-buried and unresolved trauma from her past? Why did the dead man’s vision warn Jane of a disaster? Is her mind playing tricks, or is it something beyond science and human knowledge?

The story comes in the first-person POV of Dr. Henry and the journals of Jane O.

My Thoughts:

Firstly, thanks to Shelley, whose terrific review made me request the book immediately even though this is not really my genre.

The writing style can be a deal breaker. Despite getting two POVs, both have a detached sense of style. The psychiatrist’s POV is clinical despite his borderline obsession with the case. Even Jane’s journals carry a dry and matter-of-fact tone which aligns with her character arc.

The tone couldn’t have been better, if you asked me. It prevented the story from getting overly emotional or falling into pieces all over the place. I enjoyed the book as much because I liked the narrative style.

Since there’s no garnish or seasoning (descriptions), the story is focused on the plot. The pacing is great too even if it feels like nothing much has happened. In fact, that’s the point. Something is happening even when it appears as if everything is good. The sense of unease lingers in the background without distracting the reader from the events.

However, I feel the suspense (for the lack of a better word) went a bit too long. I’d liked the reveal and the explanation to come a bit earlier so that we’d have more time for the story to move ahead.
While some questions have been answered, a few are left untouched. Also, I’m not sure about a particular development on a personal level. It may or may not work for everyone. I don’t mind it but I won’t say I liked it.

The concept is actually cool. It’s exactly the kind of stuff that appeals to me. That’s why, I wanted it to be explored a bit more.

However, the book has a massive trigger for the (view spoiler)[pandemic (hide spoiler)]. This occupies around 30% of the content in the second half, so please be careful.

Also, at one point, I was confused enough to go and check the news reports. Of course, the reveal explained the situation, but (view spoiler)[as an Indian I can’t say I particularly like the developments, especially considering what happened a year later, through a neighbor. (hide spoiler)]

To summarize, The Strange Case of Jane O is an interesting read with what some might call unreliable narrators (I don’t think so). Not sure who I can recommend it to. I did enjoy it though!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group (Random House), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

#NetGalley #TheStrangeCaseOfJaneO