The Hound of Thornfield High - Colleen Alles - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Colleen Alles

GENRE: YA Contemporary Romance, Retelling.

PUBLICATION DATE: November 19, 2024

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A contemporary YA retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, ‘Jane Eyre’. Fairly true to the original, but works even better as an independent novel. A good option for YA readers. You don’t need to read the original to appreciate this better.

Plot Preview:

Michigan. Seventeen-year-old Jane is a senior at Thornfield High. With her best friend Helen, she is ready to navigate the final year of school, more challenging this year thanks to the merger of the school with Milcott High after fund cuts. One of the new students to transfer to Thornfield is Eddie Rochester, who leaves Jane strangely affected. However, he is already dating another ex-Milcott student, Bertha Mason.

When Eddie and Bertha call it quits, Eddie gives mixed signals to Jane, but soon pursues the gorgeous Blanche Ingram. In the meantime, Jane discovers that another fellow student, SJ Rivers, is interested in her. Should she go out with SJ, or should she follow her heart and pursue Eddie? All this romantic drama is against the background of the school’s chaos after the merger and certain struggles in Jane’s family life.

The story comes to us in Jane’s first-person perspective, just as in the original classic.

As many of my friends here know, I am not at all a fan of YA books. Yet, I willingly jumped at this one when I saw the blurb call it not just a contemporary retelling of ‘Jane Eyre’ but one aimed at the YA crowd.

‘Jane Eyre’ was one of the first (abridged) classics I read in my life. I have read the abridged as well as the unabridged versions multiple times, but I never understand what makes the strong-but-young Jane fall so hard for the much-older and lying Mr. Rochester. Seeing this dark-ish story being adapted for the YA age group stoked my curiosity. How would the author handle the secrets and the manipulations and the toxic relationships that plague the original plot?

The answer is, quite well indeed!

I do enjoy retellings (as long as they aren't of Jane Austen’s novels.) I like them even more when they aren’t a blind copy of the original but offer a fresh novelty to the core plot. The original has to be visible and yet invisible in the retelling. This indie book handles all this wonderfully. It isn’t a scene-by-scene modernisation of the classic. Some elements of the original plot are vaguely evident here. But the broad story is quite different, and suitable to the requirements and interests of the target age group. I don’t think you need to read the classic to appreciate this version better, but you will miss out on many Easter eggs if you have no knowledge of the 1847 novel.

Jane, in this book, is both same and different from the heroine who inspired her personality. She is still confident about her intellect and capabilities, but still considers herself plain. The only difference is that she is more obsessed by Rochester this time around, unlike in the original where I felt like she was more level-headed in her feelings for him. Small difference, but an interesting one. Rochester is the prime pursuer in both versions, and Eddie Rochester is as conniving in this book as Edward Rochester was in the classic. I wasn’t a fan of his any time, and the young Eddie in this book does nothing to improve my opinion of the character. Basically, I didn’t root for Jane and Eddie to be with each other in both the books. But I do feel that this book handles the ending much better – I really loved the author’s writing choice here.

As you can see, all the character names from the original have been retained for the reappearing characters. This is both good and bad for the likes of me, who know the classic by heart. Good because I could get a clear handle on the character the minute I saw their names. Bad because I kept waiting for Helen Burns to die, as she did towards the start of the original! 🤭

To some extent, I wish the cover and/or the title indicated the ‘Jane Eyre’ connection in a stronger way. Then again, some youngsters might stay away from this offering if they realise that it reworks a classic novel from two centuries ago, that too one they might have been forced to read at school. A two-edged sword, this decision!

My entire evaluation so far seems to be dominated by how this stands against the original. But what if I were to analyse it as an independent work? It would still pass with flying colours, and would have worked even better if I were a YA fan. The main characters are strong, and not clearly good or bad. Even the adults are mostly sensible, unlike in other YA novels. Everyone has a complex persona that translates to a well-layered storytelling. Eddie is not at all likeable, but as I said, he fits the bill of “Edward Rochester”. The writing is fast-paced, the plot is interesting, and the ending is highly satisfying (at least to my eyes.) This isn’t a “OMG, he is so hot; my heart thuds every time I look at him” kind of YA romance, even though there are such scenes in the book. The plot is more on the lines of knowing and doing what’s right for you rather than being blind in your feelings. I appreciate this modern, sensible take on the struggles of first love.

A little shoutout to the author's note right at the start, detailing her love for the original book. Though I am not that big a fan of Jane Eyre, I truly understood the author’s sentiments as I feel the same about Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Her love for the classic shines strongly. I chuckled at the ‘Dear Reader’ snuck into the note – a lovely ode to Brontë’s style!

All in all, this indie book fulfils its role well, paying an ode to a classic story but fixing it firmly in contemporary times. The characters, the plot, and the writing all work well in harmony. I would have loved it even more were I fond of YA fiction. I hope the author considers it a big compliment that she managed to not just make me read a YA novel but to also like it to a 4-star level. A rare occurrence, indeed!

Definitely recommended to YA readers interested in a contemporised classic retelling that doesn’t suffer from the burdens of the classic.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via StoryOrigin. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.