Newly arrived in London, bereft Janice is looking to fill the void left by her first lover, Ariel, and cautiously makes friends with Kobus. When he ruins their friendship, she escapes the tragic consequences by running away to Amsterdam. There she finds a lovable ally in Colin, who is making the most of the city's exciting gay scene. When Janice falls deliriously in lust with the glamorous Hannah, she is unprepared for the inevitable heartbreak. But kind-hearted Kate is there to pick up the pieces and at long last Janice seems to have found her perfect match-and a reason to stop running and accept responsibility for herself.
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Reviews
EDITORIAL REVIEWS: BECOMING JANICE
“Ragini Werner has crafted a poignant, thoughtful story that teases out the complexity of human relationships, holding a mirror up to ourselves, whatever our age, our era, our past, our place on the spectrum of what it is to be human. Gritty, heartwarming and deeply evocative of a world in which many of us grew up, this is a story of love sought and found on so many levels. Beautiful. A voice to watch out for.” — Manda Scott, prize-winning, bestselling author of Any Human Power
“Becoming Janice delivers. With its nuanced characters, solid narrative and detailed sense of place, this novel places Ragini Werner solidly on a list of some of the finest novelists of the day.” — Christopher Houston
“In Becoming Janice, Ragini Werner takes us on a Grand Tour of Lesbian Amsterdam as the 1980s dawn, ‘tarts and all,’ as her gay Scottish friend Colin might say. She vividly evokes an era full of self-discovery with comedy and catastrophe, but also, eventually, with some quieter and more thoughtful conclusions that just might be what Janice has been needing to become Janice.” — Murray Edmond, poet, playwright, editor & critic, author of Aucklanders (Lasavia Publishing, 2023)
“I’ve just finished reading Becoming Janice. It’s a wonderful coming of age story. Sometimes I found it hard to be sympathetic to Janice (she can be a real pushover and she let so many people take advantage of her) but I kept forgetting that she was so young. She doesn’t have much experience. But she does find her way, step by step, becoming stronger and bolder with each new adversity. I felt quite proud of her by the end of the story. And I’m already wondering what she did after she stepped off the bus she boarded at the end! Fab book cover too. I really liked it.” — Gael Spivak
“You know you’re in the hands of a skilled writer when you start reading Becoming Janice. A shy, but confirmed lesbian, Janice embarks on her OE in the late 70’s and her adventures in love (or without love) are the basis of this tale. I was in London in the late 70’s, and Ragini Werner has such a gift for evoking place and time that I almost expected to encounter myself in Janice’s journey. Amsterdam too comes alive as Janice falls in and out of bed, as so many of us did in our 20’s! Janice blossoms, and then blooms. It is a story you will recognise. Enjoy!” — Kate JasonSmith
“Becoming Janice is a gripping read, immersing the reader into a nomadic coming of age story. On the quest of belonging, we see Janice hope, fumble, be disappointed and above all grow as she navigates love and friendship. I finished in two sittings, as Janice’s (mis)adventures wouldn’t let me put the book down. I felt for Janice just as I have felt for friends navigating their early twenties. I have found myself reflecting quite a bit on Janice and her story since finishing Becoming Janice, and I am excited to read more from Ragini Werner.” — Lira Palmer
«Becoming Janice es una conmovedora historia acerca de las inescapables fuerzas del amor y la amistad, con todo el bien y el mal que pueden hacer. Con su prosa veloz, cautivadora y sencilla, Ragini Werner lleva al lector a atestiguar el mundo emocional interior de Janice, una mujer joven que se las ve con estas fuerzas en el afán de encararse a sí misma y de navegar entre sus necesidades, sus deseos, y aquellos de un conjunto de personajes memorables. Lleno de retratos entrañables y buen humor, este libro es una agradable invitación a recordar ese antiguo adagio: conócete a ti mismo». — Alberto Cortés Navarrete
“Becoming Janice is a moving story about the inescapable forces of love and friendship, along with the good and evil they can do. With her swift and captivating, easy prose, Ragini Werner takes the reader to witness the inner emotional world of Janice, a young woman who grapples with these forces in an effort to face herself, and to navigate between her needs, her desires, and those of an array of memorable characters. Full of enticing portrayals and good humor, this book is a pleasant invitation to remember that age-old adage: know yourself.”— Alberto Cortés Navarrete
“Becoming Janice reframes the coming-of-age story as a queer journey into single womanhood during the early 80’s. As a narrator, Janice is wholly relatable in her isolation and sexual frustration, as she scrounges her way through Europe, picking up cheeky friends and odd jobs. But even as she joins up with a group of lesbian thespians, or navigates various heartbreaks, specters of the past keep pace with Janice in ways that are surprising, yet resonant.” — Lindsay Merbaum, author of The Gold Persimmon
“All the characters in Becoming Janice came alive for me. I felt like I had known them for years. And Ragini Werner’s writing drew me in and wouldn’t let me go. I hope she writes another book about Janice!” — Katharine O’Moore-Klopf, author of “This Pencil for Hire” in What Editors Do, edited by Peter Ginna
“Becoming Janice is a true rite-of-passage story that takes you back to the liberated gay scene of Amsterdam in the late seventies, where Janice is looking for her Wonder Woman, with several heart-halting frights along the way. I read it cover to cover in one go. Simply unputdownable!” — Eefke Smit, author of The Discipline of Curiosity=
« Se sentant mal-aimée par ses parents, Janice échappe à leur désintérêt pour elle en quittant son pays d’adoption et en s’enfuyant en Europe. Le voyage à l’âge adulte lui apporte de la joie, de l’amitié et de l’amour mais aussi des difficultés émotionnelles avec leurs conséquences. Son stoïsme reste intact alors que Janice découvre les réalités de la vie mais aussi celles de l’amour. Un livre honnête et bien écrit qui rend la lecture très agréable. » — Mayanne Mackay
“Feeling unloved by her parents, Janice escapes their lack of interest in her by leaving her adopted country for Europe. The voyage in her young adulthood brings her joy, friendship and love but also emotional difficulties with their consequences. Her stoicism remains intact as Janice discovers the realities of life and also those of love. An honest, well-written book that makes very enjoyable reading.” — Mayanne Mackay
Author(s)
Ragini Werner
A keen sapphic writer with a liking for wordplay, Ragini Werner lives in the far north of the Netherlands with her little dog, Chino. Her fiction has appeared in literary magazines as far afield as the United States, New Zealand, Belgium, and the Netherlands.