“No one feels the grievousness of my shortcomings more keenly than I.”
The intriguing narrative saved the otherwise sluggish, inconsistent story. Jane Steele was an awesome main character and I’m afraid her unique voice was the only reason I plowed through 400 pages of dragged-out plot.
If you don’t know, Jane Steele is a gothic retelling of Jane Eyre, but this was a strange retelling. The events are similar to Jane Eyre—Jane Steele loses her parents and is sent to an abusive boarding school—but here Steele has read the book Jane Eyre and greatly admires Jane as a heroine.
Jane Steele was almost the villain of the story—she’s a murderess and explains her plights in a series of “confessions,” addressing the reader in a remorseful tone so that we can sympathize with her. The plot followed her moving from her relatives’ house, boarding school, London, and eventually to Charles Thornfield’s mansion, leaving a trail of bodies behind her.
When Jane arrived at Charles’ home, I didn’t like how the focus immediately switched from Jane’s killings to romance. And not only that, but the romance was insta love. Jane fell in love with Charles almost overnight.
Aside from the messy plot, I really liked how the issue of rape was handled. Jane’s cousin attempted to rape her when she was young, and Jane has always thought it was her fault “because she didn’t scream.” Later she is told that it was never her fault, and Jane is shocked to realize that she is a victim. I thought the author addressed this topic very well.
The ending was considerably weaker than the beginning, though the strong narrative and tasteful, old fashioned writing made it bearable.
“Will you pardon me for murdering someone in your drawing room?”
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