Welcome back, Readers! How did Fall treat you? Hopefully you got a few minutes here and there to enjoy a good story amidst the falling leaves!
I have one for you this month in Jane Unlimited. In this multiversal mind-bender of a book we get to experience multiple aspects of a singularly wild weekend all through the eyes of a singular protagonist.
So, grab an umbrella and venture out into the rain with me as we check it out! Will this book make your Christmas wishlist? Let’s find out!
Book Stats
- Author: Kristin Cashore.
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, and Audible.
Price: $10.23 for Hardcover, $9.67 for Paperback, $8.99 for Kindle, and $21.66 for Audible, or one Credit on Audible.
Length: 462 pages or 14 hours and 39 minutes in audio format.
Narrator: Rebecca Soler
Number of books in the series: This is a standalone book but Kristin Cashore is a relatively prolific author so if you like this one, there’s plenty more to read from her!
Basic Premise
Jane has had a life marred by an unusual amount of tragedy. She lost both parents at a young age and was
taken in by her aunt Magnolia. She lived happily with her aunt for some years until, semi-recently, Magnolia also died. Magnolia was a wildlife photographer primarily concerned with oceanic creatures and, as such, went on a lot of long journeys to parts unknown to try and capture those wonderful little moments nature often provides but we’re rarely there to see. That is until she heads to Antarctica where she succumbed to a blizzard. Her body was never found.
Jane, as a result, has found herself alone in the world. Without many close friends and with no family left she’s dropped out of college and is making ends meet by working a service job that she doesn’t particularly love. (And who can’t empathize with that, at least somewhat?)
This all changes when an acquaintance finds her way back into Jane’s life. Kiran used to tutor her and is a couple of years older. She’s also from an impossibly rich and well connected family. She invites Jane to come to Tu Reviens – an island estate off the coast of New York. Strangely enough, Aunt Magnolia once insisted that Jane promise to agree to visit Tu Reviens should the opportunity ever present itself. It doesn’t hurt that Kiran basically promises Jane free room and board to work on her real passion (Designing and building custom umbrellas.) for as long as she wants.
The trip to Tu Reviens is a dark and stormy one, and once they arrive it’s clear that this house is strange. Sprawling to a ridiculous degree and constructed from ‘acquired’ parts of other homes, it’s kind of a mis-matched monstrosity. It’s filled with art as well; from priceless masterpieces to stuff by relative unknowns. A perfect place for an aspiring umbrella artist to find inspiration! More than that, there’s a dog there by the name of Jasper. No-one knows quite where he came from, but he’s become a member of the family and has free roam of the place. He develops a liking for Jane right away and so does she for him.
As things progress and plans for a grand island gala come to fruition, it seems that some of the art that adorns Tu Reviens has been stolen. Particularly important pieces to Kiran’s twin brother. Jane finds herself dropped into the middle of an art-heist story that could go so many different ways, each direction
dependent on the person she chooses to ally herself with.
And that’s exactly what we experience.
In a world of infinite possibilities, each choice Jane makes allows us to see a whole new timeline play out. But will Jane survive all of them? Which one works out best for our heroine? Which is most enjoyable for us, the readers who are taken along for each of these rides? The book is essentially broken up into six parts – our introduction to the characters, world and inciting incident and FIVE additional stories, each told from Jane’s perspective depending on who she goes with at one pivotal point in the proceedings. You’re not going to want to limit yourself by not checking out Jane, Unlimited!
My Take
This book was recommended to me by a friend at work and they seemed really excited about it. As such, I couldn’t help but check it out. Enthusiasm about books is one of my favorite things ever and it deserves to be shared and enjoyed!
The author shows themselves to be extremely versatile by employing a slightly different writing style and vastly different story elements in each of the five story paths Jane can follow. I don’t want to give away too much, but each path is, essentially, a different genre. From spy thriller to sci-fi space opera to a dreamlike bit of psychological and body horror. Each story feels distinct and interesting while filling in answers to questions we, out of necessity, have at the end of part one. Each timeline fits together like a jigsaw puzzle, allowing us to make a full picture of exactly what’s happening at Tu Reviens. Extremely skillful storytelling. Some plots and story threads are left partially unfinished and unresolved, though, so be aware of that going in. (I feel like these may have been cut short in the editing process? Just a guess. They’re kind of ancillary to Jane’s particular story. Stories.)
Have you ever played a visual novel style video game? Doki-doki Literature Club or Clannad? I guess that’s what I liken this to the most. Everything progresses to the point you can make that initial choice that sets branching paths in motion. You can re-load your saved game to experience different paths on different playthroughs, and that’s what we’re seeing here. At the end of each path, the book rewinds back to those two most pivotal words: Jane Decides. I’ve never personally seen this approach to storytelling in a novel format so it’s an intriguing premise on the basis of that alone.
Jane herself is an interesting character… which is great as we follow her through literally five timelines! She’s a little brash, artistic and sensitive, determined and reasonable. I outright laughed at a lot of her little verbal quips and reactions to things. A lot of the other characters are a bit more one-note to begin with but as we bump into them throughout each story, they come together to give a more complete picture towards the end. Jasper is the best character, of course.
Our narrator for the audio version is Rebecca Soler. She does a great job of keeping everyone’s voices distinct and portraying a wide range of emotions. Also some great work with particularly challenging accents!
Overall, this was a really fun read. Definitely a good stocking stuffer if you have a reader on your Christmas list looking for an interesting, multiverse themed tale with a strong protagonist and a lot of twists and turns!
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