"Jane: Murder" is a book of poems, a poetic exploration of the life and tragic death of Jane Mixer, a promising law student brutally murdered by an unknown assailant in 1969. Maggie Nelson, who never knew her aunt Jane, discovers her story through diaries, letters and photographs, newspaper accounts, true crime documentaries, stories of loved ones, family legends, and her own dreams. Nelson's poetic intuition immediately establishes a kinship with this intelligent, passionate, doubting, and introspective young woman.
The crime is attributed to serial killer John Collins, though it barely fits into a serial killer's mold. The family resigns itself to the lack of clarity; they are unaware that new information will soon emerge in the case and that they will face a harrowing trial, which Maggie Nelson will describe in her book "Red Parts." Weaving disparate materials into a poetic fabric, Nelson tells the stories of several generations of her family: stories of growing up, sisterhood, relationships with parents, violence, loss, and memory. The narrative, punctuated yet capacious and imaginative, leaves a breathless space; the white space of the page allows (and even demands) a breath, transforming the story of a single crime into a meditative journey.