Gregory Duke's Reviews > Fiona and Jane

I have to ask myself why I read this and why I kept reading? It's a totally trite debut that does nothing particularly interesting except provide the publishing world with a new perspective (in this case, queer Taiwanese women). That's all fine and dandy, but what is this book??? It's title and synopsis make it seem like it's about friendship over time, yet there's so little shown of Fiona and Jane in the same space that it feels like the novel is positing more so a narrative about two women growing up and having troubles with men. It's all about men. Infidelity, erectile dysfunction jokes, reflections (reflection is a strong word. I probably mean barebones representation/observation) on the fetishization of Asian women by men of all types, rocky parental relationships that continue to be positive, and class (it's present but totally underdeveloped beyond Fiona is poor and Jane is upper-middle class and nothing else). The first few chapters are the strongest, so it really just keeps kind of devolving beyond already being easily forgettable. It entertains in the moment and proceeds to mildly agitate and dissipate entirely.