Fiona and Jane is a debut collection of short stories by Jean Chen Ho. The title characters are Taiwanese with different backgrounds growing up in America as best friends. The stories fit together like a novel tracing the lives of Fiona and Jane from adolescence into late twenties/early thirties. The plot lines move well and the characters are portrayed with just the right amount of innocence, selfishness, shortcomings and nobility appropriate for their ages and circumstances that have shaped them. The title characters, and also supporting characters, are drawn with love and skill through simple events with multiple layers of meaning the reader can see without the author saying. These characters are real. Very good work. Here’s what The New York Times says:
