Anyone eager for a continuation of the Jane Eyre plot will be pleased by this 1966 novel by Jean Rhys. It takes one to the exotic location of Spanish Town Jamaica and follows the story of Antoinette, also known as Bertha the crazy hieena (in Jane Eyre). This is a good book, especially the ending, which is just as good as that other JE inspired work Rebbecca. The Gothic idea of the zombie is approached in the most intelligent way in the history of literature, the zombie is more a clever witch than your typical brainless corpse. The narrative is a split between Rochestor and Antoinette and works well at giving dual perspectives. Theres also a little passage narrated by Grace Pool at the end. So there are all these characters that readers of JE would be familiar with but theres a lot of difference in their portrayal.
Historically whats also at play in this book is colonial politics and race relations just after the emancipation in 1833. They get blended up in cultural mash.
Well worth a read if you are are a CB fan.
No comments:
Post a Comment