Re Jane by Patricia Park
Summary
For Jane Re, half-Korean, half-American orphan, Flushing, Queens, is the place she’s been trying to escape from her whole life. Sardonic yet vulnerable, Jane toils, unappreciated, in her strict uncle’s grocery store and politely observes the traditional principle of nunchi (a combination of good manners, hierarchy, and obligation). Desperate for a new life, she’s thrilled to become the au pair for the Mazer-Farleys, two Brooklyn English professors and their adopted Chinese daughter. Inducted into the world of organic food co-ops, and nineteenth–century novels, Jane is the recipient of Beth Mazer’s feminist lectures and Ed Farley’s very male attention. But when a family death interrupts Jane and Ed’s blossoming affair, she flies off to Seoul, leaving New York far behind.
Reconnecting with family, and struggling to learn the ways of modern-day Korea, Jane begins to wonder if Ed Farley is really the man for her. Jane returns to Queens, where she must find a balance between two cultures and accept who she really is.
Book Setting: Queens, Brooklyn & Seoul
Flushings, Queens
Northern Boulevard
718 Gates Avenue
Carroll Gardens
Berkeley Carroll School
Gangnam
Busan
Jongo District
Dongdaemun Market
Namsan Tower
Haeundae Beach
JJ Mahoney’s
Rego Park
Athen’s Diner
Reviews
“Park’s debut is a cheeky, clever homage to Jane Eyre with touching meditations on Korean-American identity. . . . Park’s clever one-liners, and her riffs on cultural identity will resonate with any reader who’s ever felt out of place.”
—Publishers Weekly
"Breezy, engaging... a truly fresh, modern take on the coming-of-age novel"
— New York Times Book Review
"Like her Brontean namesake, Jane narrates her tale with honesty and wit. . . Reader, you'll love her"
—O Magazine