Mr. Rochester

In this work of historical fiction, Shoemaker depicts the private life of Mr. Rochester from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Who exactly is the mysterious Mr. Rochester, and how exactly did he become entangled in that hellish marriage with Bertha Antoinetta Mason? Shoemaker delves into the as yet untold past of Edward Fairfax Rochester, bringing to light the events that led him to Thornfield Hall and his beloved Jane. Readers begin their acquaintance with Mr. Rochester on his eighth birthday as he is sent off to his first days of school at Black Hill under Mr. Hiram Lincoln. Sadness imbues Edward’s life—shaped by the early loss of his mother and the constant manipulation, neglect, and bullying of his father and older brother, Rowland. As the pieces of his life come together, readers watch Edward make his way toward an unavoidable future set out for him by Brontë. He meets pivotal mentors who teach him the rules of the world he is meant to enter, eventually following his inheritance to the shores of Jamaica, where things quickly become more complicated than he is prepared for. Shoemaker’s detailed writing will transport readers to a bygone age of romance and heartbreak. Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Literary. (May)