Re Jane: A Novel

At one point Jane, as an Asian au pair in a relationship with her white, married employer set up an unfortunate comparison in my mind. Edward Rochester should not invoke Woody Allen. And the madwoman upstairs? She's an overzealous, vegan, feminist academic. The whole thing threatens to be a little too New York. And don't call it a retelling of Jane Eyre. It's got tons of little Eyre Easter Eggs that provide a gleeful spark of recognition. Currer Bell! Lowood! But in the end the story and characters are their own.

I loved the bits of Korean sprinkled throughout. At my weekday lunch I'd prod my folks about their understanding of nunchi, tap-tap-hae and hon-yeol which prompted some wonderful, meandering conversations. Came for the Jane Eyre, stayed for the Korean.