Looking for Jane

Looking for Jane has three main point-of-view characters whose perspectives dominate alternating chapters set in different time periods. The earliest, Evelyn, begins her story in the 1960s. The most modern, Angela, begins her story in 2017. All three stories meet in 2017, as the characters also meet in that year.

Following three narrative threads across time allows Marshall to consider the changing access to abortion and other reproductive health care throughout the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st. This expansive historical perspective facilitates development of the theme of Bodily Autonomy and Reproductive Rights, as the novel explores the connection between reproductive rights and self-determination through the perspective of three characters living at very different historical moments.

The narrative structure in Looking for Jane also develops the theme of Motherhood as Both Universal and Personal by virtue of comparison. There are strong similarities that tie all three characters together, such as the desire to control when they become mothers and the profound experience of connection that comes with motherhood. However, there are also unique aspects to each of the characters’ journeys, like how they become pregnant and what choices they are offered around that pregnancy.