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A review by bites_of_books
Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
There's an idea about friendship that is romanticized that does not exactly fit what a lot of people experience in their lives. As someone who has moved a lot in her life, from childhood to adulthood, I've made plenty of friends in the many places I've been. Some of those friends have slowly become acquaintances while others have endured. With some I have deep conversations for hours on the times that we can make time to see each other or schedule a Skype call, with others it's sending each other memes or funny videos we find that remind us of the times we spent together.
In Fiona and Jane we get to read short stories from both Fiona and Jane's perspectives from their shared childhood to their adulthood. They come in and out of each other's lives, each wondering why they haven't reached out to the other, thinking about what the other would say in such and such situations. There's a longing, a sense of nostalgia, of loneliness that permeates the pages, and which I felt deep in my core. These slices of their lives are at times very difficult to read, from dealing with mental health issues, sexual identity, and family relationships, the stories touched some aspects of my life that I hadn't expected.
Overall, if you like non-linear stories that are told via short stories from multiple perspectives and deal with difficult themes of identity, mental health, and family relationships, then this one is definitely for you. If anything, this book delivers a sense of perspective on life that I haven't read in other places, specifically regarding friendship. It's not about the usual tropes around friendship, it's about what happens to friendships when people are simply living their lives. One I'll definitely remember for a while to come!
In Fiona and Jane we get to read short stories from both Fiona and Jane's perspectives from their shared childhood to their adulthood. They come in and out of each other's lives, each wondering why they haven't reached out to the other, thinking about what the other would say in such and such situations. There's a longing, a sense of nostalgia, of loneliness that permeates the pages, and which I felt deep in my core. These slices of their lives are at times very difficult to read, from dealing with mental health issues, sexual identity, and family relationships, the stories touched some aspects of my life that I hadn't expected.
Overall, if you like non-linear stories that are told via short stories from multiple perspectives and deal with difficult themes of identity, mental health, and family relationships, then this one is definitely for you. If anything, this book delivers a sense of perspective on life that I haven't read in other places, specifically regarding friendship. It's not about the usual tropes around friendship, it's about what happens to friendships when people are simply living their lives. One I'll definitely remember for a while to come!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide