Faye hasn't embarked on a retelling of Brontë's masterwork, or anyone else's, for that matter. Her novel pays homage to the greats, yet offers a heroine whose murky past and murderous present remind us that some female behavior in other eras never made it into print.
Jane Steele, an orphan turned governess, is a 'murderess five times over.' Perhaps more unforgivable, her crimes are wonderfully entertaining ... 'Conventionality is not morality,' Charlotte Brontë argued. 'Self-righteousness is not religion. .?.?. Appearance should not be mistaken for truth.' Jane Steele adopts these words as her moral compass, slaying seemingly respectable villains who actually commit heinous deeds.
...a beautifully drawn gothic portrait of a fierce young woman finding her way in an unfriendly world by slaying her demons— both figuratively and literally.
Like the classic upon which it is based, Jane Steele is not a fast read. Many of the sentences are long, but the careful reader will be rewarded with Jane's wit and insight. Jane Steele is a fresh and imaginative takeoff on Jane Eyre, and will leave readers with plenty of fodder for discussion.
Faye’s first novel, Dust and Shadow, featured a match of wits between Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper; clearly, she has a way with serial killers. The literary love match that is Jane Steele has already been optioned for a movie. Devour this book, reader, and join me in line at the multiplex.
