OPINION:
At first glance “Young Jane Young” seems like a simple beach read. The stylish cover is bright gold and features a minimalist portrait of a woman on the cover with hands on her hips. The book is tall and not terribly thick. It looks like it’ll be a light, breezy read.
Looks are deceptive.
Gabrielle Zevin’s latest work is a smart, intersectional feminist tour de force about feminine power and shame. The story follows Aviva Grossman, a twenty-something woman who has an affair with a Florida congressman in 2001. The affair is discovered after a car accident, and all hell breaks loose. Aviva becomes a punchline, she’s slut-shamed, she can’t get a job. It’s no fun.
So she does what any rational human being would do: She changes her name and moves to Maine. Fast forward to the present, and Aviva becomes Jane Young, an event planner. She builds a life with her daughter, and Jane even decides to run for mayor. But then everything becomes a circus again.
The book is divided into different sections told by three different generations of women, each with its own style. The first section is narrated by Aviva’s mother, Rachel, and jumps back and forth through time. The second is told by “Jane” (Aviva’s new name) and is relatively straightforward. The third is told by Jane’s daughter, Ruby, in an email correspondence with a pen pal in Indonesia. The fourth centers on Embeth, the wife of the congressman Aviva had an affair with, and it features a rather important parrot (which is later explained). The final section is told by Aviva in a “Choose Your Own Adventure” format.
This is an incredibly ambitious structure, and not only does Ms. Zevin tie all the narrative threads together, they cohere beautifully. Each character’s voice is distinct and moves the tale along. The prose is lovely and lively in Ms. Zevin’s energetic and engaging style.
However, there are a few minor missteps. The pacing seems a bit off, but that issue resolves itself fairly well. Ruby also comes dangerously close to being a moppet. Without her specific section, she’d be a flat character, but she’s still the least believable character, and her arc doesn’t come to a satisfactory conclusion.
Also, there were three major questions I had about subplots, and they weren’t fully answered by the end of the book. The good news is that the ending didn’t need to answer those questions in order to be effective. (I still want to know, though!)
“Young Jane Young” is a quick read, so it’s perfect for book clubs and travel. All in all, this work is smart, witty and, at times, very funny. It will tug at your heartstrings and may lead you to question some preconceived ideas about sex scandals and politics.
• • •
YOUNG JANE YOUNG
By Gabrielle Zevin
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, $26.95, 294 pages
Please read our comment policy before commenting.