WE, JANE

Narrator Rhiannon Morgan adopts a ruminating tone to deliver Aimee Wall's debut novel. It's a character study of an intense, non-romantic female relationship and an homage to the historic Chicago Jane Collective, which was dedicated to underground abortion access. Younger Marthe recounts how she and the older Jane, who first meet in Montreal, return to their native Newfoundland, where Jane works to ensure that isolated local women can secure accessible abortions and care. Both observant Marthe and activist Jane revel in their social alienation, a feeling Morgan conveys without the benefit of passages that explicitly describe their self-awareness. The combined effect of Morgan's tone and the author's circular plotting makes the story slow paced and quiet. Yet it draws listeners in. F.M.R.G. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2022]