A short story by Tracy Chevalier from the collection Reader, I Married Him: Stories inspired by Jane Eyre.

In ‘Dorset Gap’, two students walk in the countryside after a night of partying and miscommunicate over Jane Eyre.

Edited by Tracy Chevalier, the full collection, Reader I Married Him, brings together some of the finest and most creative voices in fiction today, to celebrate and salute the strength and lasting relevance of Charlotte Brontë’s game-changing novel and its beloved narrator.

Reviews

Praise for the full collection, READER, I MARRIED HIM:

‘Dazzling’ DAILY MAIL

‘The success of this book owes much to [Chevalier’s] enthusiasm … it’s quite amazing to see the quality of work on show’ EVENING STANDARD

‘A terrific set of stories by some of our leading novelists, each of whom engages with a chosen aspect of Jane Eyre’ THE NEW STATESMAN

‘A clever idea well-executed; a treat for fans of short fiction and for Brontë's many ardent fans’ KIRKUS REVIEWS

‘Exemplary…written by some of today's best female writers’ THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

‘These pieces create a beguiling picture of women and men and desire, in which everyone is searching, like Jane, for happiness and wondering whether marriage is really an answer. The book acts as a prism spreading all kinds of literary and historical refractions, and it’s a reminder that Charlotte Brontë, too, has many sides’ GLOBE AND MAIL

About the author

Tracy Chevalier is the author of eight novels, including At
the Edge of the Orchard, The Last Runaway, Remarkable
Creatures and the international bestseller Girl with a Pearl
Earring. She first read Jane Eyre when studying for her
English Literature BA at Oberlin College. Her favourite part is when Jane has to sleep rough for a few days until she finds refuge with the Rivers family.