John Eyre

A Haunting Retelling of the Beloved Bronte Classic

It’s no secret that Jane Eyre is my all-time favorite book, so naturally when I saw a twist on the retelling, I jumped at the chance to read it. In Mimi Matthew’s John Eyre, pretty much everything Bronte laid out is turned on its head.

There is no plain governess but a nondescript tutor instead. Mrs. Rochester rules the house with Mr. Fairfax carrying out her bidding. So, who’s in the attic? Aha! You’ll have to read this clever tale to find out. Here’s a blurb:

Yorkshire, 1843. When disgraced former schoolmaster John Eyre arrives at Thornfield Hall to take up a position as tutor to two peculiar young boys, he enters a world unlike any he's ever known. Darkness abounds, punctuated by odd bumps in the night, strange creatures on the moor, and a sinister silver mist that never seems to dissipate. And at the center of it all, John's new employer--a widow as alluring as she is mysterious.

Sixteen months earlier, heiress Bertha Mason embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Marriage wasn't on her itinerary, but on meeting the enigmatic Edward Rochester, she's powerless to resist his preternatural charm. In letters and journal entries, she records the story of their rapidly-disintegrating life together, and of her gradual realization that Mr. Rochester isn't quite the man he appears to be. In fact, he may not be a man at all.

From a cliff-top fortress on the Black Sea coast to an isolated estate in rural England, John and Bertha contend with secrets, danger, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Can they help each other vanquish the demons of the past? Or are some evils simply too powerful to conquer?