The Hound of Thornfield High
Release Date: November 19, 2024
Subgenre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary
Trope: Coming of Age, The Byronic Hero, The Ugly Duckling
Spice: Clean/Wholesome
The Hound of Thornfield High is a retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s 1847 classic, Jane Eyre, as a contemporary young adult novel.
In this rendition, Jane Eyre, seventeen, is a student at Thornfield High. Ready for a fun senior year with her best friend, Helen Burns, Jane is quickly unmoored by Eddie Rochester, a new student who matriculates when Thornfield High merges with Milcott High. Unfortunately, Eddie is already dating Bertha Mason. When that relationship sours, he begins chasing the beautiful Blanche Ingram.
Meanwhile, Jane uncovers a secret that jeopardizes everything she knows about her family. To complicate Jane’s heart, S.J. Rivers confesses feelings for her, too.
This is Jane Eyre’s story, adapted for younger readers, and told in our contemporary world of cell phones, text messages, and social media; it’s still, at heart, the story of a resilient woman: her journey to discover who she is and what she really wants.
Colleen Alles
Colleen Alles is a native Michigander and award-winning writer living in Grand Rapids. The author of two novels, a full-length poetry collection, and four poetry chapbooks; she’s also the Poetry Editor of The Lakeshore Review and a contributing fiction editor with Barren Magazine. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Red Cedar Review, Tar River Poetry, Third Wednesday, The Write Michigan Anthology, The Michigan Poet, and other places. Colleen’s work was recently long listed for The Fugere Book Prize for Finely Crafted Novellas (Regal House Publishing).
When Colleen isn’t reading or writing, she enjoys distance running and spending time with her family.