All You Have to Do Is Call

The impressive latest from Maher (The Paris Bookseller) is a vivid fictionalized account of the women behind Jane, an abortion counseling service and “the safest open secret in Chicago.” After her own harrowing back-alley abortion in 1969, painter Siobhan Johnson and her friend, Veronica Stillwell, join forces and found Jane, a referral service for women seeking an abortion in the years before Roe. By 1971, Veronica and Siobhan have moved from referrals to performing “safe, clean, illegal abortions” in support of “equality, autonomy, and freedom for women.” As word spreads and Jane struggles to keep up with demand, Veronica feels pressure to stop working as she’s about to have a baby, and Siobhan’s co-parenting issues with her ex-husband escalate as her painting career takes off. Maher also explores the story’s feminist themes through her other characters: Margaret Jones is an English professor dealing with misogyny from colleagues and doctors and is also dating Siobhan’s ex-husband, Gabe, and Patty Buford is a stay-at-home mom and childhood friend of Veronica’s who begins to question whether she’s content in her traditional role as a wife and mother. As the police bear down on the organization, each woman must decide what risks she’s willing to take. Maher evocatively explores what remains a timely topic in American history, showing the strength that women wield in helping each other achieve bodily autonomy. (Sept.)