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Joanne Kukanza Easley, born in Chicago, Illinois, has adopted Texas as her home. She lives in the Texas Hill Country on a small ranch with her husband, three rescue terriers, and abundant wildlife. Retired from a career in nursing—with dual specialties in the cold, clinical operating room, and the intense, emotional world of psychiatric nursing, she devotes her time to writing fiction. Her second novel, JUST ONE LOOK, set in her native Chicago, will be released on June 24, 2021. In her next project, I'LL BE SEEING YOU, you'll meet Jane again.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Sweet Jane is a work of literary, character-led fiction penned by author Joanne Kukanza Easley. It is written for adults due to some mature themes such as alcohol abuse, but also for mild use of explicit language and some sexual situations. The plot follows our titular character Jane from her early childhood when the drunken rages and ramblings of her vodka-addicted Mama lead her to run away as soon as she is old enough to fend for herself. Although Jane’s life looks like she’s achieved a lot and is on top of things, a visit home for Mama’s funeral sends her on a journey back through the stages that have made her into the woman she is.
Author Joanne Kukanza Easley really knows how to tell a story deep from the heart, with a raw and well-considered emotional makeup that makes her characters realistic, interesting and also easy to relate to. Jane has a hard life with many concealed secrets, and the plot is extremely well designed to unveil these moments in connection to her past. In true literary fiction fashion, this plot moves slowly and steadily, and the focus is very much on the character as we see the effects of Jane’s present and past colliding, and those clashes which will ultimately shape her future. What results is a well written and well told biographical narrative, deep in its description and psychology as it is in atmosphere, charm, and heart. Sweet Jane is a highly recommended literary read.
