JANICE EVERET

A teaching assignment leads a young blind woman to romance and unexpected dangers in Burton’s gothic romance.

At the age of 10, Janice Everet is orphaned and sent to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to live with her aunt, Edith Richards. Blind from birth, Janice has experienced the world through the books read to her by the cook, Bessie. Despite living in an ostensibly secure home, Janice is fearful of Edith’s son, Arnold, an aspiring artist who mistreats her. When Arnold’s behavior toward Janice turns abusive, a concerned doctor recommends she leave the home and attend the Pembrook School for the Blind. Janice thrives at Pembrook, learning to read and write in Braille, walk with a cane, and perform household tasks. After graduation, she begins a teaching career and accepts a request to travel to Alabama to teach a blind 7-year-old named Adelaide. Janice feels an instant rapport with the bright Adelaide and a strong attraction to her guardian, Edwin Robertson, a successful woodcarver. Despite their growing bond, Edwin is haunted by secrets from his past, secrets that put their lives in danger when Arnold Richards discovers Janice and her new life in Alabama. Burton’s novel is a clever retelling of Jane Eyre (1847) with a Southern gothic romance twist, featuring well-developed characters and settings. Janice is a vibrant and courageous heroine whose Christian faith sustains her. She’s complemented by Edwin, a man whose act of compassion unwittingly brings Arnold Richards back into Janice’s life. The narrative is set between 1935 and 1950, and the author engagingly incorporates a wealth of historical details, from references to World War II to the television series The Jack Benny Program. Most impressively, Burton deftly and sensitively balances serious topics like child abuse with the love story between Janice and Edwin.

A compelling reimagining of a literary classic.