We, Jane by Aimee Wall

 

Marthe grew up in Newfoundland.  She was restless and glad to leave for university in Montreal.  While there, she met a man and got pregnant.  Not ready to have a child, she got an abortion and later the relationship broke up.  Marthe dropped out of college and worked waitressing, her days aimless and without a purpose.

Then she met Ruth at a meeting about women's rights.  Ruth introduced her to the concept of Jane, an organization that passed on knowledge about abortions and how to perform them so that women would always have an option regardless of laws and so that rural areas would have access.  Marthe has found her purpose and she and Ruth go back to Newfoundland where Marthe will receive her training.

There are issues with the group.  There are personal disagreements.  One woman brings a friend for an abortion but the woman is really there to further her story about underground abortions and the Jane organization and when she writes her expose, the head of the Janes is arrested.  Marthe questions if this is what she wants to do.

This is a debut novel based on reality.  There was a Jane organization in Chicago which serves as a model for other groups.  All the women in the organization are called Jane to give them some shelter from the law.  This book was longlisted for the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize as well as being shortlisted for other awards.  It outlines a relevant social issue at a time when abortion rights are in flux with old laws being overturned and new ones being legislated.  This book is recommended for readers of womens fiction.