Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin; Algonquin Books of Chapel Hills; (c) 2017; ISBN pending; 307 pages; tentative price $26.95.
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — Two young Jewish interns, Monica Lewinsky and Chandra Levy, z”l, as written about in the Washington D.C. media became caricatures of themselves. Lewinsky was the intern whose spotted blue dress probably deserves a place in the Smithsonian, as it was a key piece of evidence in the impeachment saga of President Clinton.
Chandra Levy’s story was much sadder. After having an affair with Congressman Gary Condit of California, she disappeared and was found murdered. Her undeserved fate was the subject of speculation and scandal that caused Condit to be unseated, even though it turned out someone totally unrelated to either of them had randomly murdered Levy in a park.
Did you ever wonder how terrible and life changing it must have been for the families of Monica and Chandra? Can you imagine how Monica must have suffered for years after news of her liaison with Clinton became so embarrassingly public?
Young Jane Young helps us imagine, though, of course, it is a work of fiction.
We don’t find out who “Young Jane Young” is until the second section of this novel. The first section is told in the voice of Rachel Grossman, whose daughter, Aviva, became infamous as the intern who had a long running sexual relationship with her boss, a popular Jewish congressman from Florida.
Accounts of the well-publicized affair and its aftermath are related by Rachel, Aviva, and Aviva’s daughter, Ruby, as well as by the Congressman’s long-suffering wife, Embeth.
One of the things that makes Zevin’s book so interesting is that each character tells the story in a different style, most notably the teenager Ruby, who relates it in the fashion of a book in a “Choose Your Own Adventure” series, in which the reader gets to pick what should come next in the plot. Ruby invariably picks answers that lead to more disclosures about the family history.
Politics and sex long have been staples of fiction, and in this novel we also get the politics of sex. The congressman who took advantage of a young intern is reelected more than once. The intern, on the other hand, is branded as a tramp. Don’t get the idea that Aviva was the unwilling and unwitting victim of the affair; she did everything she could to seduce the congressman. Nevertheless, he was nearly old enough to be her father; he should have gently diverted her from her passion.
Quite naively, Aviva contributed to her own pillorying in the media by publishing an anonymous blog about the affair, which readers had little difficulty linking to her.
Three generations of her family were hurt by the fallout, as was the congressman’s wife. The only one to seemingly skate through it was the congressman, who apparently was coated in Teflon.
Young Jane Young is easily read and just might get us to reexamine some of our attitudes about adulterous relationships.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
Mr. Harrison, if you knew anything about the young lady you write about, Chandra Levy, you would know she didn’t run or jog or take walks in forests. When a woman’s body is found in remote woods, that doesn’t mean the woman took up jogging that day to get there. I recommend you read my book, Murder on a Horse Trail, available to read on my website as well, to know what actually happened to the young lady you write about.
No one has time to read all that they care about, including myself, but to allow the US government to make Chandra a jogging victim in a remote forest when she didn’t jog or visit remote forests is unacceptable, and the ones who most have to not accept it are the ones who care enough to write about her.
Ralph Daugherty
author, Murder on a Horse Trail
http://www.justiceforchandra.com
i’ve grown old and disabled and watched American freedom go down the drain since 9-11-2001. America has grown into a nation where a term i’d never heard prior to 9-11 called ‘politically correct’ has American citizens more intimidated by our own government than any other threat. i don’t know what that term means but it’s being used to replace great American values like honesty, loyalty, dignity, integrity, and the basic common-sense value of right over wrong. we’re all born with a heart that enables us all to know right from wrong without the necessity of any coach or intimidation by those who would promote oppression over common-sense in the interest of personal financial benefit. being a decent person brings me more joy than anything materialistic. above all i like to hear music and see people smile and be proud of America. i don’t understand the concept of having more money than it takes to provide a home and some food. i don’t know what type of person would be created by inheriting a fortune an individual never had the satisfaction of earning upon my demise. i don’t know why people continue to watch tv even though it’s never going to speak any truth. i can’t pretend like it’s normal for journalists to be murdered or imprisoned for speaking the truth. I know that people are supposed to naturally exhibit honesty, loyalty, and integrity, and be a positive role model for the young. on the present route, at the present rate, what future does America hold for our future generations? how can anyone be expected to have any dignity if they have no integrity? and integrity can only come to us through honesty and loyalty. we have to give more than we receive and only then are we worthy of respect from others. people are far more wise than animals but we know a dog is man’s best friend. always loyal. the path to Make America Great Again can only be obtained through these common-sense values and decency. if we give love we get loved – if we choose to hate…