Book Lover's Hideaway: Kelly's Review: JANE WAS HERE

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Kelly's Review: JANE WAS HERE

JANE WAS HERE
By Sarah Kernochan
Published by: Grey Swan Press
First Printing: June 14, 2011
ISBN-10: 0980037727
ISBN-13: 978-0980037722
Amazon; Barnes and Noble; Goodreads

Concept: “A mysterious young woman called Jane appears in a small New England town. She claims a fragmentary memory of growing up in this place, yet she has never been here before in her life. Searching for an explanation, she arrives at the unthinkable: that she is somehow connected to a beautiful girl who disappeared from the town in 1853. Is she recalling a past life? Jane becomes convinced of it. As she presses onward to find out what happened in this town over 150 years ago, strange and alarming things begin happening to some of the town's inhabitants. A thunderhead of karmic justice gathers over the village as Jane's memories reawaken piece by piece. They carry her back in time to a long-buried secret, while the townspeople hurtle forward to a horrific event when past and present fatally collide.” [From Amazon.]

Review: I cannot go into the ins and outs of this story without giving away the plot or without explaining things in such detail that I might as well re-write the book so the basics are this: Jane shows up in a small town claiming that she’s been here before. Is it a reincarnation? Is it a spirit that has taken over Jane’s body? Are you involved yet? The townspeople get really involved in all this too. The underlying tone is about how past history can affect what is going on today but the true mystery to this book is who will pay for something that happened 150 years ago? Hmmm??? Whatcha think???

What I liked: This author was the screenwriter for the movie “What Lies Beneath” and also “9 ½ Weeks.” Okay, two different movies, but I had to point that out. Anyway, like in “What Lies Beneath” the story is slow to unfold even though when it does all come together, you have almost an “a-ha!” sort of moment. I like it when that happens. This book could transfer to the screen effortlessly. It would be a really good movie but this might be one of those cases where the movie may be better than the book.

What I disliked: Well I’m not crazy about the cover although in the alternative, I don’t know what I might suggest. I wasn’t overly fond of any of the characters in the book, I don’t care about what happens to any one of them. That was a little rough for me with this book.

My rating: 3.5 feathers