The History of Jane Doe

June 18, 2018
Belanger’s contemplative first novel seriously addresses first love, depression, and grief from the perspective of an amateur historian grappling with an unexpected loss. High school senior Raymond Green is struggling to understand what happened with his ex-girlfriend, referred to as Jane Doe. Jane and Raymond’s relationship didn’t end happily, and Raymond is writing a history of Jane to unravel the events leading up to the book’s climax (“History isn’t a straight line from the beginning to the end. You’ve got to study everything in between. That’s where the real answers are”). Belanger gives Raymond a wry sense of humor, which balances
the book’s heavy themes with a light tone, and Raymond’s conversations with his therapist are successfully used to impart important messages about mental health without feeling forced. Readers looking for a moving, realistic portrayal of depression will appreciate this exceptional debut. Age 14–up.

Narrator Michael Crouch ably meets the challenge of portraying a man named Ray in this complex psychological novel. Crouch masterfully guides the listener through Ray's memories and feelings, meandering between "the days before" and "the days after" a catastrophic event that changes his life forever. We're "on the couch" with Ray as he interweaves his memories of his slowly developing relationship with Jane in "the days before" with his anger and confusion in "the days after." As Ray reluctantly begins to share with his therapist, Crouch's smooth delivery lets us hear Ray's happiness as his friendship with Jane grows and his hurt when she pulls back. In the author's note, Belanger compares talking about mental illness to a riddle. With Crouch's careful delivery, the listener begins to unravel that riddle. N.E.M. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine