BRAINERD — “The Wife Upstairs” by Rachel Hawkins has been on my to-be-read list for a while. I didn’t know anything about the story but had gotten it from someone as a recommendation. While choosing it for my next audiobook, I learned two things.
The first is that it’s a retelling of one of my all-time favorite books — “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte. I haven’t read any other adaptations of the classic novel, so I immediately got even more excited. I also learned there’s another book with the same title, written by popular thriller author Freida McFadden.
I didn’t know anything about McFadden’s “The Wife Upstairs” either, but I know her general style and that she’s especially well regarded. So I thought I’d take on a fun little exercise by reading both books with the same title. I’m not sure if I set out to compare them or just explore the idea that two very different books could have the exact same title.
Either way, it was a fun undertaking, and I’d recommend them both. From the very first line, mimicking the opening sentence of “Jane Eyre,” I knew I was going to enjoy this book. Jane is clearly running from something, and whatever it is has brought her to Birmingham, Alabama, where she found work, by chance, as a dog walker in the rich neighborhood of Thornfield Estates.
She walks dogs for the likes of Mrs. Campbell Reed and Mr. Tripp Ingrahm, the husband of the late Blanche Ingram.
If you’ve read “Jane Eyre,” I’m sure you’re getting the parallels by now. ADVERTISEMENT Jane runs into the handsome Eddie Rochester, who immediately takes a liking to her. Their romance is a whirlwind, with Jane jumping at the first opportunity she can to move out of the crappy apartment she shares with John Rivers and into Eddie’s grand estate.
The reader gradually learns about the background Jane is trying to escape as well as the enormous secret Eddie is hiding. Again, those familiar with “Jane Eyre” can probably guess where the story is heading. Even knowing that myself, I was still pleasantly surprised by some of the twists, feeling a dash of Daphne du Maurier’s classic “Rebecca” thrown into the mix, too.
A reader definitely doesn’t need to be familiar with Bronte’s or du Maurier’s works to enjoy Hawkins’ “The Wife Upstairs,” but for those who are, I think you’ll be in for a treat. It’s pretty impressive when I can go into a thriller expecting the twist and still be surprised. I wouldn’t say I necessarily had a spoiler for this book, but I did see it compared to a certain other popular book, famous for its twist, so I was prepared.
Or so I thought. Desperate for a job — any job, really — Sylvia Robinson finds what she thinks is the ideal situation. She’s employed by writer Adam Barnett, who wants her to help care for his sick wife.
In return, she’ll make good money and be able to live in his huge home. Victoria Barnett looked like she had the perfect life, up until her tragic accident, that is. Now an invalid, Victoria is dependent on others for her everyday care.
Sylvia thinks she can do the job and actually gets on pretty well with her patient. Then she finds Victoria’s diary, and the story spins out of control from there. If you’ve read the certain other book I saw this one compared to, you might already see the similarities in the plot.
If you haven’t, then I’m not going to ruin anything for you. I’ll just say that I applaud McFadden for her ability to spin such a twisted story that keeps the reader constantly on their toes for the last few pages. ADVERTISEMENT Is one of these better than the other? I’m not entirely sure.
Having read both “Jane Eyre” and another book comparable to McFadden’s, I had a good idea of the twists coming in both novels, though the authors were still able to hit me with a few surprises, which I found quite impressive. THERESA BOURKE may be reached at theresa.bourke@brainerddispatch.
com or 218-855-5860. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.
com/DispatchTheresa ..
