ESCAPING MR. ROCHESTER

Jane Eyre teams up with Bertha Mason to defeat the real enemy—Mr. Rochester.

In this retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s novel centering queer Black characters, 19-year-old Jane has left Lowood School in Lancashire, England, for Thornfield Hall, where she’ll be a “right and proper governess” to Adèle Varens, the young light-brown-skinned ward of white Englishman Edward Rochester. Jane feels a sense of freedom in pursuing her new role, leaving behind employment under a cruel headmaster—though she misses the comfort and support of her lover, Helen. The story alternates between the first-person perspectives of Jane and Bertha (Rochester’s wife), a format that gives Bertha voice and agency denied her in the original iteration. Bertha is imprisoned in the upper floors of the house; Rochester only married her for access to her family’s wealth. His debts have mounted, and he previously pursued marriage with Adèle’s late Parisian mother, who had a fortune of her own. This book nails the atmosphere of the brooding historical setting in which “punishment and pain” seem “to lurk around every corner.” The love story between Jane and Bertha, which is also developed through their secret letters, is a refreshing addition. Bertha, who is from New Orleans, shares multiple flashback scenes, adding depth to her character. Unfortunately, readers may find the culminating twist a disappointment.

A sinister gothic romance revamped with mixed results.