Synopsis
‘As unexpectedly beguiling as it is affecting’ – Daily Mail
Inspired by the true story of his own great-aunt, Brad Watson tells the story of Miss Jane Chisolm, born in rural, early-twentieth-century Mississippi with a genital birth defect that would stand in the way of the central ‘uses’ for a woman in that time and place - namely, sex and marriage.
From the country doctor who adopts Jane to the hard tactile labour of farm life, from the sensual and erotic world of nature around her to the boy who loved but was forced to leave her, the world of Miss Jane Chisolm is anything but barren. Free to satisfy only herself, she mesmerizes those around her, exerting an unearthly fascination that lives beyond her still.
‘Watson‘s talent is singular, truly awesome; he reminds me of Raymond Carver, Flannery O‘Connor, Chris Offutt in his bravery, his unflinching willingness to look at what might set others running‘ – A. M. Homes
‘Superb . . . Watson . . . has a great heart, and this great heart has made him a great writer‘ – Independent
Part of the Picador Collection, a series celebrating fifty years of Picador books and showcasing the best of modern literature.
Details
06 November 2025
9781035061747Reviews
Miss Jane is courageous, resilient and enquiring; her parents are troubled souls, but loving. That said, Watson doesn’t succumb to sentimentality . . . With the woods and fields of Jane’s rural home seeming to cast a subtle enchantment on her life, hers is a history that is as unexpectedly beguiling as it is affecting.Daily Mail
A bittersweet southern pastoral, the story of a forgotten woman written with unearthly beauty. If Raymond Carver and Flannery O’Connor had a child, it would be Brad Watson.A. M. Homes, 'Best books of the year', Guardian
[Watson's] sensuous prose eases its way through vivid, deliberate scenes, rich with profound meaning . . . This proud, gentle novel shimmers with a subtle defiance, a near-physical need to celebrate a woman who lived against the odds.Eileen Battersby, Irish Times
A writer of profound emotional depthsNew York Times
