Review: Looking for Jane

There aren’t many things that feel better to an avid reader than being absolutely surprised and delighted by a book. I expected to enjoy Looking for Jane, Heather Marshall’s debut novel, of course. I didn’t, however, expect it to be my first five star read of the year. I loved every single thing about this book and will be recommending it to all historical fiction fans for the rest of the year. Probably longer.

Here’s the book’s description:

Tell them you’re looking for Jane.
2017
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.
1980
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.

Historical fiction is not created equally and Marshall has proven already that she is a strong addition to the genre. I never felt like I was reading a textbook but I definitely felt like I was completely immersed in the time(s) she was writing about. I hadn't thought too much about what the underground abortion network would have looked like in Canada. Or the US. Marshall states in her author’s note (does any other historical fiction fans love reading those notes just as much as the story?) that the Jane Network didn’t technically exist in Canada and she kind of combined networks and stories she learned while researching. There aren’t as many recorded stories as you may expect because so many records were destroyed after the abortion, if they were ever written down in the first place. And oral histories aren’t abundant either because some women don’t want to discuss their abortions, either because of trauma or shame. Even with those potential gaps in research, Marshall was still able to put together a smart, well researched novel.

Marshall had three different characters she was writing about and they were all so strong. Angela didn’t seem to be in the novel quite as much as Evelyn and Nancy but she plays an important part and her sections are impactful. I often find with multiple perspectives that I enjoy one character over the other(s). I didn’t have that feeling with this book. It could be that there was eventual overlap so I didn’t really feel like I was “missing” the other characters. But I think it has a lot to do with the way Marshall wrote the women and their stories. I cared about all of them and the story flowed really well.

If you know my reading tastes, you might be surprised that I loved a book with such strong themes of motherhood. I have absolutely no desire to be a mother and tend to shy away from books with those themes because I usually can't identify with them. I think what worked for me was that this was historical fiction and feminist. And, you know, I don’t hate mothers. I also felt like this was still really relevant in today's world. Canada legalized abortions well after the US but if you've paid attention to the news, even a little bit, you know there are still laws (and new ones being created) that limit a pregnant person's options. And these laws are being created, for the most part, by men. It's infuriating. 

I don’t often like to compare authors or books to others in a similar genre because there are so many nuances. That said, anyone who enjoys bestselling authors Genevieve Graham or Jennifer Robson will definitely enjoy Heather Marshall’s novel. She writes a quieter type of historical fiction and gives a story with heart and characters that will stick with you. I absolutely cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Looking for Jane was everything I wanted and more. I loved Heather Marshall’s debut (!?!) novel and cannot recommend it enough. It has a lot of tough storylines, so be kind to yourself, but it is most definitely worth a read.

Content warnings: abortion, adoption, infertility, death of a child, rape (off page)

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*