Young Jane Young

Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When Aviva Grossman was a young intern for a charismatic but married older congressman in South Florida, she had an affair with him and blogged anonymously about it, not realizing that her choices would ruin her reputation, destroy her budding career, and cause collateral damage to her family. Scandals never really vanish in today's internet world, and years after changing her name and rebuilding her life far away from Miami, hers erupts again when she runs for mayor of her small Maine town.

I am what is known to Nancy Pearl fans as a "character doorway" reader. Since this novel definitely has character as its primary doorway, I expected to really enjoy it. However, I never really connected with any of the characters, and the structure of the story didn't quite gel for me either--it lacked cohesion, which further distanced me from caring about the people in it. I really struggled to figure out what was going on when each section was narrated from the point of view of a different character, and some sections rambled or jumped around in time, making it incredibly difficult to construct a mental timeline or know what to pay attention to. I spent too much energy focusing on details of timing rather than becoming absorbed in the story itself. Had the book better matched its blurbs, particularly the one on Goodreads, I think I would have loved it. I'm sure plenty of readers would disagree with me, but I think tightening up the narration and not starting with Rachel's point of view would have made a world of difference. This novel strikes me as the book version of a student essay written without a clear thesis statement: nuggets of goodness but scattered, unfocused, and with loose ends dangling.

I don't mean to sound harsh. I didn't hate it, and I can see how some readers will absolutely love it. I did enjoy the narrative conceits of letters to a pen pal and choose-your-own-adventure. Even though it took me a while to finish, and the pace of the story arc was very slow, it still felt like it read fast, particularly the final chapters.

Readers' advisors will want to note that there is a fair amount of profanity, and since it's centered around a sex scandal, there are references to sexual activities, including anal sex, and plenty of face-palmingly poor decisions.

I received an advance reading copy from Bookbrowse and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

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