Wuthering Heights — Book Review

First published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, Wuthering Heights is the only novel by Emily Bronte.

Set in wilderness of the moors, the entire book has this gloomy, gothic vibe to it. It will make a perfect winter read, sip a hot cup of coffee by fire and be consumed by this classic!

Wuthering Heights is a book for readers who appreciate raw and unlikeable characters. There isn’t anyone noble or chivalrous in the book, with an exception of Edgar. If you try to reason out why a certain character took the said actions, you might end up a bit frustrated. You just have to listen to Emily’s narration of Heathcliff and Catherine’s love story without judgement. The most outstanding part is when Catherine explains her love for Heathcliff to Mrs Dean, and says “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same”. That sentence is so powerful that I felt the intensity with which Catherine loved Heathcliff, despite her vindictive attitude. If you want to know how devastating and maddening love can be, you have to read this book. There is jealousy, drama, vengeance. It’s a classic for a reason!
Heathcliff isn’t someone you will like, but Emily doesn’t want you to like him, she just wants you to know him. Honestly, with every turn of the page I was mesmerized by Emily, I wonder how she created such characters, what was she like to think of such characters, what inspired her????

Another observation that I would call out is that the book does not have a single narrator, it has several narrators who are telling a story from their perspective. Which means there is room for doubt and exaggeration that can leave you with a few questions. One such example is of Catherine’s pregnancy which was not mentioned until she gave birth, maybe, because the narrator didn’t deem it worth enough for the plot of her story.

It is definitely a book worth of second or third read. Maybe even 10 reads!