Heather Marshall’s debut novel, Looking for Jane, is expected to be released on March 1, 2022, by Simon & Schuster. Looking for Jane is a historical novel that weaves together the story of three women in different parts of their lives. One day while at work, Angela finds a letter addressed to a woman she’s never met but reveals a family secret. Angela realizes she needs to find the correct person. But is it something she should meddle in?
I want to thank Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Looking for Jane. All opinions presented here are solely mine.
CW/TW: abortion, suicide, violence
Synopisis from Goodreads
2016:
When Angela Creighton discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession in a stack of forgotten mail, she is determined to find the intended recipient. Her search takes her back to the 1970s when a group of daring women operated an illegal underground abortion network in Toronto known only by its whispered code name: Jane…
1971:
As a teenager, Dr. Evelyn Taylor was sent to a home for “fallen” women where she was forced to give up her baby for adoption—a trauma she has never recovered from. Despite harrowing police raids and the constant threat of arrest, she joins the Jane Network as an abortion provider, determined to give other women the choice she never had.
After discovering a shocking secret about her family history, twenty-year-old Nancy Mitchell begins to question everything she has ever known. When she unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she feels like she has no one to turn to for help. Grappling with her decision, she locates “Jane” and finds a place of her own alongside Dr. Taylor within the network’s ranks, but she can never escape the lies that haunt her.
Positives
The settings are written with such detail. From the back-alley “butcher” to Dr. Taylor’s office to the police station, you can easily picture these locations and feel the same emotions the characters are feeling at that moment.
The characters are sparse but also beautifully created. Outside of the three main characters, only a handful of other characters appear throughout the story. Each has its purpose of helping move the story along and feel believable.
While fictional, this book is inspired by true events and covers a little-known part of history in Canada.
Negatives
The only issue I had with this book was that it seemed to drag or feel slow a few times. Yet if it weren’t for those slow parts, others in the book wouldn’t have the same impact.
My Opinions
Looking for Jane is told from three different points of view-Angela, Evelyn, and Nancy; it also covers various points of time from 1960 to 2017. When we meet each woman, she is in a different part of her life, each with their own struggles. Each POV switch is easy to follow, as the chapter titles establish who we are with and what time in their life.
One plot point appears early in the book and leaves you wondering why. Yet as you read, you understand the reason for the reveal so early. The biggest plot twist near the end wasn’t one I was expecting and nearly brought tears to my eyes.
This story isn’t just about abortion, nor is it just about motherhood, and it is a story about women in general. Looking for Jane shares the stories of three women trying to have a say in their lives and their bodies at various points in their lives. While this book covers over 50 years, it tells a story that still holds true now.
If you enjoy reading books about strong women, who may be flawed, I think this book is for you. If you enjoy reading books about little-known parts of history, I think this book is for you.
Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.
Terrific review, Pam. This does sound interesting, and it’s a part of history I don’t know anything about.
Thank you Wendy! I had always assumed there were underground groups helping with safe abortions, but it was great to read this and learn they were real. And I am ever so grateful to the women (and men) who fought for the right of choice.