Re Jane A Novel
Re Jane A Novel by Patricia Park, published by Penguin Publishing Group on April 19, 2016, is a reprint edition comprising 352 pages. This novel follows Jane Re, a half-Korean, half-American orphan living in Flushing, Queens, as she navigates her complex identity and cultural heritage. Working in her uncle’s grocery store, Jane yearns for a different life and seizes the opportunity to become an au pair for a Brooklyn couple, which introduces her to new experiences and relationships.
Readers will find a narrative that explores themes of cultural clash and personal growth as Jane transitions from her life in Queens to the vibrant world of her employers. The story delves into her journey of self-discovery, reconnecting with her roots in Korea, and the challenges of balancing her dual heritage. Through her interactions with the Mazer-Farleys and her eventual return to Queens, Jane grapples with love, obligation, and the quest for authenticity in a modern context. This contemporary retelling of Jane Eyre offers insights into the Asian American experience while presenting a fresh perspective on identity and belonging.
Official synopsis Publisher
“Re Jane is snappy and memorable, with its clever narrator and insights on clashing cultures.”—Entertainment Weekly
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. Re Jane is a bright, comic story of falling in love, finding strength, and living not just out of obligation to others, but for one’s self.
Journeying from Queens to Brooklyn to Seoul, and back, this is a fresh, contemporary retelling of Jane Eyre and a poignant Korean American debut.
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