Fiona and Jane was the first book I read in 2021 and even though that was just a month ago it already feels hazy. This is the way of January I suppose. It feels oddly appropriate that this book review be written with a bit of a haze, as that is kind of the vibe of the book itself. Two best friends sorting through their memories of twenty years or so of friendship dating all the way back to second grade.
So this book has nothing but rave reviews and it is definitely well written. The thing is, I just didn’t really care that much about hanging out with Fiona and Jane. This is probably partially due to the fact that I haven’t read anything besides historical fiction or sf/fantasy for awhile so jumping back into contemporary fiction is always a bit jarring. And I tend to like my contemporary fiction to still skew to the weirdos. Fiona and Jane had their troubles for sure, but they were pretty much just normal people dealing with life and love and everything.
One thing I did enjoy about this book was how very LA it was. Having lived in LA for 8 years now it is always fun to read a book that shows you another side of your city, and since I am not Taiwanese American this book definitely gave me a window into another part of the city I call home. So if you want to read a well-written book about coming of age in LA as a Taiwanese American woman this is for you. I guess I was just more in the mood for something else when I read it.
