“This is a bad idea,” says Jane Harrison as she arrives in British Columbia to visit her mother. Janey had left the family farm in anger 16 years earlier, at 18, after becoming pregnant with her daughter, Claire. Claire, however, is eager to see the farm where her mother grew up, yet she wonders at all the secrets: why her father has never contacted her; why her grandfather is never mentioned; and why her mother doesn’t let people get close to her.

As the story unfolds, Claire finds a lot of answers. She meets her father and his son, Jamie, who has leukemia. Through a series of brave acts, which include donating bone marrow for Jamie, Claire exposes the family secrets and restores balance. These, along with her friendship with Jack, a local teenager, help her to realize both her strength and her vulnerability.

Janey’s Girl is a stunning debut by Gayle Friesen of Delta, B.C. The main characters are real – interesting and imperfect. Claire is an amazing girl, sensitive to the emotions of others and determined to do what is right, even if it causes pain. Jane, who is fighting rather than seeking reconciliation with the past, ultimately learns from the present and makes changes for the future. The dialogue, especially between Claire and Jane and between Claire and Jack, is full of humour and brutal honesty. The hospital scenes with Claire and Jamie are intense and emotional, yet not sentimental.

The story does not provide a neat, happy ending. It almost begs for a sequel but as Janey says at one point: “There’s no happily ever after here, Claire. How many times have I told you that?”