Publisher: Bywater Books
What’s Best for Jane is the sequel
to Bett Norris’ earlier novel Miss McGhee.
Ten years before Mary McGhee shocked the
town by taking over control of the town mill, fighting for civil rights for
African Americans and starting a relationship with Lila DuBois. She established herself as a controversial
person and, while that hasn’t changed, in this book many things have.
Mary
is alone after Lila’s tragic death and she is a shell of the person portrayed
in the first book. She seems content to
spend her days sitting on her porch, drinking tea and often fighting with Lila’s
brother Jimmy Jackson and his wife. Mary
appears to be marking time to an uneventful death until she meets Lila’s niece
Jane. Jane looks like her aunt, but more
importantly, unlike the rest of her family, she shows great promise for the
future if she can only get an opportunity.
Mary makes the goal of her life to educate, nurture and provide for Jane. Jane may look like Lila, but she often acts
like Mary and has her own streak of independent stubbornness. The book covers
eight years as this unlikely pair, an old lonely woman and a lonely precocious
child, struggle to determine who really knows what is best for Jane.
Bett
Norris has a gift for capturing the feel of a small Southern town. The reader can almost feel the heat radiating
from the pages and smell the honeysuckle blooming. There is a languid pace for the book that
matches the region. For those who read
the first book, this one may be a sad story.
This Miss McGhee has lost her spirit since Lila’s death and seems to
enjoy being the town curmudgeon. When
her relationship with Jane proceeds in a dangerous direction, she is so
disconnected from life that she fails to see its implications at first.
The
best developed character is Jane. When
the story opens she is a ten year old girl who avoids the
harshness of her life by escaping into books.
Though her family life is extremely difficult, she understands her
responsibility to them and is willing to stand up to Mary to defend them. By the end of the book, Jane is ready to
attend college and escape the narrowness of the town. As she has matured, she has provided Mary
with a purpose and a challenge. As Mary
descends into her final days, she does it with a sense of regret that she won’t
see the final product that Jane will become, but confident that she has given
Jane the opportunity for a new life that Lila would have wanted for her.
What’s Best for Jane is one of those
books that subliminally speaks to deep issues while the reader believes she is
just reading a story. It covers a number of topics – intolerance,
family dynamics, the grief of loss, and the hope of the future. Norris doesn’t lecture however. She reveals.
The
book does present the reader with a conundrum.
The personalities of Mary McGhee presented in the two related books are
so different that it may be difficult to reconcile them, although people do
change as they age. Some of the
references in the second book go back to the first one and may not tell the
reader enough to know why they are important.
So, the question is, should Miss
McGhee be read before What’s Best for Jane? It probably isn’t, but to do so could enhance
the experience. They’re both very good
books, so reading them is no loss.
What’s Best for Jane isn’t standard
lesbian fare. In fact, lesbianism is a
small part of the story and it could appeal just as easily to lesbian or
straight readers. It is well written and
tells an interesting story, so it’s easy to recommend it. Be prepared for a gentle, yet moving
experience.
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