Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho - review

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Title: Fiona and Jane

Author: Jean Chen Ho

Genre: Literary Fiction/Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 288

My rating: ★★★★☆

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A kind of coming-of-age story, a novel about friendship, Fiona and Jane spans two decades over the lives of the titular characters: two Taiwanese American best friends who navigate the intricacies of relationships and the other complexities of growing up in contemporary America. Told through alternating voices, we get peeks through each chapter of a different moment in their lives, whether they be together or apart. We see their friendship wax and wane as they try to discover who they are and how they fit into this world.

I absolutely loved this novel and the characters! There were times in which I felt more connected to Fiona and others in which I pulled away from her, and felt more connected to Jane, just like a real friendship. The story reads as a collection of pivotal moments from their lives, each chapter describing that particular moment before jumping in time. The writing was exquisite throughout but my favourite chapters were the very first two, which I thought set a fantastic tone, but that, unfortunately, were not exactly matched by the rest of the novel – the only reason I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5.

I found the portrayal of their friendship very realistic, as well as their relationship with their mothers and their various partners. Towards the end, the last chapter in particular, it was a little bit of a let-down, as I was confused by Fiona’s last relationship and felt she hadn't reached her full potential (but that’s life, I guess!), whereas Jane’s story seemed to come much more full circle, the emphasis of the novel mainly being on her.