Manilla Press swoops for Karen Thompson Walker’s ‘profound’ novel

Manilla Press has swooped for Karen Thompson Walker’s “profound” novel, The Strange Case of Jane O. 

Publisher Sophie Orme acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Fiona Baird at WME Books for publication in March 2025. 

The Strange Case of Jane O is a “mesmerising story” about maternal love, the bonds between a man and a woman and the “unexplained mysteries of the human mind”. 

Walker commented: “I’m thrilled to be working with Sophie Orme and Manilla Press. I feel incredibly lucky that this book is being published by such a thoughtful, energetic and creative team, and I’m honoured to join Manilla’s terrific list of authors.”

Orme added: “The Strange Case of Jane O held me in its spell from the opening page. It’s an incredible achievement – captivating and haunting – at once a page-turning mystery and an astonishing exploration of memory, identity, consciousness and love. This is a book that grips you, moves you and challenges you; a book that will leave you reeling and desperate to talk about as soon as you turn the final, extraordinary page.”