Chick Lit Central: Book Review: Looking for Jane

By Melissa Amster

2017: When Angela Creighton discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession, 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 the constant threat of arrest, she joins the Jane Network as an abortion provider, determined to give other women the choice she never had.

1980: After discovering a shocking secret about her family, 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. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

My book club chose Looking for Jane as our October read this year and I'm so thankful for that! I somehow missed it when it first was released. Not only is the subject matter extremely relevant, but it's also an engaging story that was hard to put down. I found myself recommending it a lot while reading it and also after I finished.

The narratives of all three characters were all great! They were each relatable in their own ways and it was interesting to see how the story would unfold through their eyes. I liked how a letter from long ago was helpful to Angela and also didn't completely reveal everything that was going to happen from the past. There were still a lot of surprises along the way. It felt realistic and honest. Heather didn't hold anything back and some parts were definitely intense and sometimes scary as a result.

I had a couple of concerns, but these did not affect how much I liked this novel. Some of the timing didn't line up with the synopsis. Evelyn is sent to the home in the early 1960s. I know I may have read an advanced copy, but the timing wouldn't make sense even if it weren't. Also, an epilogue would have been nice to tie some parts together and also let the readers know how the characters were doing further down the road.

This novel is eye-opening and heartbreaking, but also really satisfying.

(Trigger warnings at the bottom of this post.)

Movie casting suggestions:

Angela: Kathleen Munroe

Tina: Jena Malone

Evelyn (70s and 80s): Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Nancy: Oona Laurence

Tom: Luke Macfarlane

Alice: Kirby Howell-Baptiste

Michael: Christopher Briney

Thanks to Atria for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Also by Heather Marshall: The Secret History of Audrey James (coming in February)