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A review by celestesbookshelf
Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
đź”…It was more mature than I expected it to be. We are introduced to best friends Fiona & Jane, young girl who are being raised by their moms only, albeit for different reasons.
The anthology skips timelines and we see how their goals, dreams, expectations don’t turn out the way they expected or hoped. And that’s okay. The novel spans from their childhood to early 40s. Many current issues come up such as sexual identity, cultural bias, changing Asian names to an easier American name, suicide, PTSD, toxic family and the obligation to remain loyal to them anyway.
Recently there’s been news stories of Asians stating how they’ve been asked to adapt an American name and the mental toll its taken on their identity. This novel is good for young adults as mature themes of sex, drugs and alcohol are shown. I wish the book had included years for each chapter so I could better grasp how long had passed between each of our characters’ lives. What I enjoyed most was the author showing their struggles, their deviation from their originally planned path but their arrival to a place where they’re happy even if it wasn’t where they thought they’d be.
The anthology skips timelines and we see how their goals, dreams, expectations don’t turn out the way they expected or hoped. And that’s okay. The novel spans from their childhood to early 40s. Many current issues come up such as sexual identity, cultural bias, changing Asian names to an easier American name, suicide, PTSD, toxic family and the obligation to remain loyal to them anyway.
Recently there’s been news stories of Asians stating how they’ve been asked to adapt an American name and the mental toll its taken on their identity. This novel is good for young adults as mature themes of sex, drugs and alcohol are shown. I wish the book had included years for each chapter so I could better grasp how long had passed between each of our characters’ lives. What I enjoyed most was the author showing their struggles, their deviation from their originally planned path but their arrival to a place where they’re happy even if it wasn’t where they thought they’d be.