If you're going to completely reimagine the stories of two famous literary characters, you might as well do it with style.
That's what fans of "Dracula" and "Jane Eyre" can expect with "Reluctant Immortals," the new novel from Gwendolyn Kiste. It features the Bram Stoker Award-winning author taking two women from those works of classic literature — Lucy Westenra of "Dracula" and Bertha Mason of "Jane Eyre" — and elevating them from largely overlooked victims to the heroes of their own narratives.
Kiste seems to have a genuine affection for both Lucy and Bertha and a healthy disdain for how they were treated in their source material. She makes a compelling case that Lucy deserved more than to just be written off as one of Dracula's earliest victims and that maybe Edward Rochester locking Bertha in an attic for years was more a reflection on his sense of decency than hers.
