Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho is the story of two women who have been friends since they were young and who grow up together to continue interweaving themselves in each others lives.
I did not like this book. This novel is the story of Fiona and the story of Jane, and is told from the alternating viewpoints of each woman. The stories go back and forth in time and they do not really seem to connect to each other in any way except they are told from the points of view of Fiona and Jane. Neither character seems to have anything to connect the reader to them, and this is not because of their culture but because they do not ever seem to be fully developed. The reader gets glimpses into their individual lives, but they do not really get a finished version of any story.
Jane seems angry throughout the book and she does not seem to have any goals in life. We read about her teenage years, dating history as a possible bisexual, and a little glimpse into her friendship with Won, and her relationship with her mother. However, Jane is shallow and we never know what her life goals are. In her forties she uses words like "bounce" when leaving, which turned me off totally to her character. I understand that people in their forties do use the slang of their youth, but still, I did not understand what the point of her character was. Then there was the character of Fiona.
Fiona wanted to be and eventually becomes a lawyer, but her life too seems to be flat and boring. The most interesting part of her life is when she is young and learns of her father and how her mother became pregnant with her at the age of sixteen. Her name was originally Ona and she had a great relationship with her grandparents until she learned the truth about how her mother met her father. Fiona goes through several relationships and there is not really any development to her character. I have no idea what either of the main characters desires are, nor do I know what the purpose of this book is.
I say this last part because this book is supposedly about the ongoing and in and out lives of Fiona and Jane as they grow older and develop, but each story seemed less about their friendship and more about the author having a desire to write this book. This book did not showcase their relationship, nor did it show the struggles of the two characters as their lives changed and developed. It really has nothing to do with their friendship changing or growing or ending. This book has almost nothing to do with a friendship and almost everything to do with two women living separate lives and nothing intertwines.
I understand that this is a debut novel for this author, and I hate being this cynical when reading a debut, but this novel did not really have much to do with the synopsis. I did read this quickly, but I cannot recommend this novel and I hope the author has a better book in her future.
I did not like this book. This novel is the story of Fiona and the story of Jane, and is told from the alternating viewpoints of each woman. The stories go back and forth in time and they do not really seem to connect to each other in any way except they are told from the points of view of Fiona and Jane. Neither character seems to have anything to connect the reader to them, and this is not because of their culture but because they do not ever seem to be fully developed. The reader gets glimpses into their individual lives, but they do not really get a finished version of any story.
Jane seems angry throughout the book and she does not seem to have any goals in life. We read about her teenage years, dating history as a possible bisexual, and a little glimpse into her friendship with Won, and her relationship with her mother. However, Jane is shallow and we never know what her life goals are. In her forties she uses words like "bounce" when leaving, which turned me off totally to her character. I understand that people in their forties do use the slang of their youth, but still, I did not understand what the point of her character was. Then there was the character of Fiona.
Fiona wanted to be and eventually becomes a lawyer, but her life too seems to be flat and boring. The most interesting part of her life is when she is young and learns of her father and how her mother became pregnant with her at the age of sixteen. Her name was originally Ona and she had a great relationship with her grandparents until she learned the truth about how her mother met her father. Fiona goes through several relationships and there is not really any development to her character. I have no idea what either of the main characters desires are, nor do I know what the purpose of this book is.
I say this last part because this book is supposedly about the ongoing and in and out lives of Fiona and Jane as they grow older and develop, but each story seemed less about their friendship and more about the author having a desire to write this book. This book did not showcase their relationship, nor did it show the struggles of the two characters as their lives changed and developed. It really has nothing to do with their friendship changing or growing or ending. This book has almost nothing to do with a friendship and almost everything to do with two women living separate lives and nothing intertwines.
I understand that this is a debut novel for this author, and I hate being this cynical when reading a debut, but this novel did not really have much to do with the synopsis. I did read this quickly, but I cannot recommend this novel and I hope the author has a better book in her future.
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