What do you think?
What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix
In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. Two British Indian teens cut off from their heritage find solace in each other in this gothic Wuthering Heights YA remix that subverts the default whiteness of the original text.
Sometimes, lost things find their way home...
Yorkshire, North of England, 1786. As the abandoned son of a lascar―a sailor from India―Heathcliff has spent most of his young life maligned as an "outsider." Now he's been flung into an alien life in the Yorkshire moors, where he clings to his birth father's language even though it makes the children of the house call him an animal, and the maids claim he speaks gibberish.
Catherine is the younger child of the estate's owner, a daughter with light skin and brown curls and a mother that nobody talks about. Her father is grooming her for a place in proper society, and that's all that matters. Catherine knows she must mold herself into someone pretty and good and marriageable, even though it might destroy her spirit.
As they occasionally flee into the moors to escape judgment and share the half-remembered language of their unknown kin, Catherine and Heathcliff come to find solace in each other. Deep down in their souls, they can feel they are the same.
But when Catherine's father dies and the household's treatment of Heathcliff only grows more cruel, their relationship becomes strained and threatens to unravel. For how can they ever be together, when loving each other―and indeed, loving themselves―is as good as throwing themselves into poverty and death?
Sometimes, lost things find their way home...
Yorkshire, North of England, 1786. As the abandoned son of a lascar―a sailor from India―Heathcliff has spent most of his young life maligned as an "outsider." Now he's been flung into an alien life in the Yorkshire moors, where he clings to his birth father's language even though it makes the children of the house call him an animal, and the maids claim he speaks gibberish.
Catherine is the younger child of the estate's owner, a daughter with light skin and brown curls and a mother that nobody talks about. Her father is grooming her for a place in proper society, and that's all that matters. Catherine knows she must mold herself into someone pretty and good and marriageable, even though it might destroy her spirit.
As they occasionally flee into the moors to escape judgment and share the half-remembered language of their unknown kin, Catherine and Heathcliff come to find solace in each other. Deep down in their souls, they can feel they are the same.
But when Catherine's father dies and the household's treatment of Heathcliff only grows more cruel, their relationship becomes strained and threatens to unravel. For how can they ever be together, when loving each other―and indeed, loving themselves―is as good as throwing themselves into poverty and death?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published July 5, 2022
About the author
Tasha Suri
14 books4,881 followersTasha Suri was born in the U.K., but toured India during childhood holidays. She is now a librarian in London, and studied English and creative writing at Warwick University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 344 reviews
February 22, 2022
A gorgeously reclaimed Gothic. Atmospheric and incisive, What Souls Are Made Of cuts deep into the question of identity and the ghosts of legacy haunting these windswept moors. I’m a Tasha Suri fan for life.
July 4, 2022
i think you need to be familiar with ‘wuthering heights’ in order to enjoy or even appreciate this. if you dont know the original story, then this may come as a disappointment as you might not understand the nuance and narrative choices TS uses. her authors note at the end helps explain this, but i think already knowing the story will help more.
that being said, i like the changes TS makes to the story in terms of ethnicity and cultural identity. i think it suits catherine and heathcliffs relationship. do i wish this retells more than just a brief section of the original novel? yes and no. i understand the choice to only focus on a portion of the content material, but i feel like in doing so, the history of catherine and heathcliff is sacrificed a bit.
i will say that TSs writing is superb. its really quite lovely and it does a great job at showcasing the passionate feelings between cath and heathcliff. again, i just wish this didnt only focus on the portion of ‘wuthering heights’ where heathcliff runs away and they are separated. we only actually get to see them together the last like 2% of this retelling when heathcliff returns.
so all in all, i understand TSs retelling choices and do appreciate the changes she made. i just wish this had retold more of the original story, rather than just a portion of it.
thank you, macmillan/feiwel & friends, for the ARC!
↠ 3 stars
that being said, i like the changes TS makes to the story in terms of ethnicity and cultural identity. i think it suits catherine and heathcliffs relationship. do i wish this retells more than just a brief section of the original novel? yes and no. i understand the choice to only focus on a portion of the content material, but i feel like in doing so, the history of catherine and heathcliff is sacrificed a bit.
i will say that TSs writing is superb. its really quite lovely and it does a great job at showcasing the passionate feelings between cath and heathcliff. again, i just wish this didnt only focus on the portion of ‘wuthering heights’ where heathcliff runs away and they are separated. we only actually get to see them together the last like 2% of this retelling when heathcliff returns.
so all in all, i understand TSs retelling choices and do appreciate the changes she made. i just wish this had retold more of the original story, rather than just a portion of it.
thank you, macmillan/feiwel & friends, for the ARC!
↠ 3 stars
June 28, 2022
read this review on my blog!
Truth is, only you’ve been kind to me for years, Cathy. And even your kindness has sharp edges.
I haven’t read Wuthering Heights (only SparkNotes level knowledge that I hastily googled) but I will read everything Tasha Suri writes so when What Souls Are Made Of was announced, it was immediately on my radar.
sheds light on south asian history
First thing I loved about this novel is how it doesn’t shy away from the horrors of colonialism and the rule of East India Company on Indians. Heathcliff is a lascar’s son and Catherine is a daughter of an Indian mistress and the Company’s officer and throughout What Souls Are Made Of, we see them struggling to understand their origins and the bond with their homelands. It addresses the immigrant experience, the treatment of Indians in Britain during that time, the injustice in India as well as juggling being related to two cultures. If you’re reading this book, make sure to digest the author’s note, Tasha Suri lists out the novels based on these themes used for research as well as the South Asian history with Britain. There’s so much more depth to this book, a retelling of a classic on that note, because of the glimpse into those times and the discrimination people faced.
And of course, apart from tackling history, reading What Souls Are Made Of was an experience as a South Asian reader. Gothic vibes, intense longing mixed with desi feels, this book is the best package.
retells the classic through a new voice
Like I said, I haven’t read Wuthering Heights and only when I read the author’s note did I realise that Heathcliff and Cathy’s story are told by a third person. In What Souls Are Made Of Tasha Suri gives voice to these two and their deep rooted feelings. “In this book, I wanted to give them both the chance to speak. And I wanted to give them roots” as she says so herself.
I also loved the distinction between Heathcliff and Cathy’s chapters—Heathcliff who leans toward violence initially but grows to learn himself and Cathy haunted and chasing the connection she feels with Heathcliff. Their individual character arcs when they’re separated only add to the ferociousness and truth of their love.
of hopeful endings
While the original text is about tragedy and vengeance, Tasha Suri spins What Souls Are Made Of as a story of individual journeys, the impact of childhood traumas and ultimately of Heathcliff and Cathy finding their way back to each other. It blends fiction, history and the tragedy of the classic and adds the yearning of freedom, love and overcoming your own past to leave readers an emotional love story.
A nuanced remix, What Souls Are Made Of has a narrative sure to evoke feelings among readers. It’s about the exploration of the period Wuthering Heights is set in, about letting the characters hurt and heal and about how profound love can be. Whether you’ve read Wuthering Heights or not, be sure to check this out and let Tasha Suri’s writing sweep you away!
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for the ARC!
Truth is, only you’ve been kind to me for years, Cathy. And even your kindness has sharp edges.
I haven’t read Wuthering Heights (only SparkNotes level knowledge that I hastily googled) but I will read everything Tasha Suri writes so when What Souls Are Made Of was announced, it was immediately on my radar.
sheds light on south asian history
First thing I loved about this novel is how it doesn’t shy away from the horrors of colonialism and the rule of East India Company on Indians. Heathcliff is a lascar’s son and Catherine is a daughter of an Indian mistress and the Company’s officer and throughout What Souls Are Made Of, we see them struggling to understand their origins and the bond with their homelands. It addresses the immigrant experience, the treatment of Indians in Britain during that time, the injustice in India as well as juggling being related to two cultures. If you’re reading this book, make sure to digest the author’s note, Tasha Suri lists out the novels based on these themes used for research as well as the South Asian history with Britain. There’s so much more depth to this book, a retelling of a classic on that note, because of the glimpse into those times and the discrimination people faced.
And of course, apart from tackling history, reading What Souls Are Made Of was an experience as a South Asian reader. Gothic vibes, intense longing mixed with desi feels, this book is the best package.
retells the classic through a new voice
Like I said, I haven’t read Wuthering Heights and only when I read the author’s note did I realise that Heathcliff and Cathy’s story are told by a third person. In What Souls Are Made Of Tasha Suri gives voice to these two and their deep rooted feelings. “In this book, I wanted to give them both the chance to speak. And I wanted to give them roots” as she says so herself.
I also loved the distinction between Heathcliff and Cathy’s chapters—Heathcliff who leans toward violence initially but grows to learn himself and Cathy haunted and chasing the connection she feels with Heathcliff. Their individual character arcs when they’re separated only add to the ferociousness and truth of their love.
of hopeful endings
While the original text is about tragedy and vengeance, Tasha Suri spins What Souls Are Made Of as a story of individual journeys, the impact of childhood traumas and ultimately of Heathcliff and Cathy finding their way back to each other. It blends fiction, history and the tragedy of the classic and adds the yearning of freedom, love and overcoming your own past to leave readers an emotional love story.
A nuanced remix, What Souls Are Made Of has a narrative sure to evoke feelings among readers. It’s about the exploration of the period Wuthering Heights is set in, about letting the characters hurt and heal and about how profound love can be. Whether you’ve read Wuthering Heights or not, be sure to check this out and let Tasha Suri’s writing sweep you away!
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for the ARC!
June 30, 2022
Tasha Suri just doesn't write a bad book. And while this isn't my favorite book from her (it does drag at times early on due to the excessive use of narrated flashbacks), I still ended up really liking it. I should say that I am a fan of Wuthering Heights as a gothic tragedy, and I loved what she did with the story. Her authors note at the end is well worth reading and explains some of the liberties she took with the original. It stays true to much of the original thematically, but chooses a more hopeful ending and focuses a lot on characters learning to accept their South Asian heritage and this question of being white-passing.
Instead of being told from Nelly's perspective, Catherine and Heathcliff tell their own stories and this focuses on an earlier period in the lives of these characters than much of Bronte's book does. Similar to the original, this is a book about identity, loss, childhood trauma, and abuse - and the impact of those things. Tasha Suri evokes the cold bleakness of the setting to perfection and the tone is very much in line with the darkness and angst you would expect from a good gothic novel. I think fans of Wuthering Heights might really enjoy seeing this twist on the story, but I also think people who didn't enjoy the original might find this more to their liking. The audio has two narrators who do a great job! I received an audio review of this via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Instead of being told from Nelly's perspective, Catherine and Heathcliff tell their own stories and this focuses on an earlier period in the lives of these characters than much of Bronte's book does. Similar to the original, this is a book about identity, loss, childhood trauma, and abuse - and the impact of those things. Tasha Suri evokes the cold bleakness of the setting to perfection and the tone is very much in line with the darkness and angst you would expect from a good gothic novel. I think fans of Wuthering Heights might really enjoy seeing this twist on the story, but I also think people who didn't enjoy the original might find this more to their liking. The audio has two narrators who do a great job! I received an audio review of this via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
July 19, 2022
This work is a reimagining of Wuthering Heights and is set during the period when Heathcliff leaves Catherine behind.
I had no idea I needed this work in my life. I love Wuthering Heights, despite its darkness and despair. But I also love what Suri chose to do with this work. She uses it to examine immigration, racism, and the triangular trade during this time, and how people were displaced and taken advantage of for the sake of progress and trade. But she combines all these things to make a magical and more positive ending to the original story in a way that was enjoyable.
Reading this work was like reading something written contemporaneously to the original work. The author chose to explore the supernatural aspects of the original work, and the way they were incorporated into this retelling was wonderful. Suri also allowed Catherine to have a voice through this work, as her story has always been told through the eyes of others. The characters in this retelling didn’t feel close to the original characters to me at first, but the more I read, the more I saw the similarities and how they were actively being shaped into the traditional characters. That being said, I do feel that Catherine was portrayed as much sadder/depressed than her original descriptions, but it didn’t detract from the work for me.
The narrators did an amazing job with this work. Their voices were exactly how I imagined Catherine and Heathcliff would sound, and they brought such life into these characters. I think this work would still be enjoyable for those not familiar with Wuthering Heights, and maybe even for those who didn’t enjoy the original book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to review a copy of this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I had no idea I needed this work in my life. I love Wuthering Heights, despite its darkness and despair. But I also love what Suri chose to do with this work. She uses it to examine immigration, racism, and the triangular trade during this time, and how people were displaced and taken advantage of for the sake of progress and trade. But she combines all these things to make a magical and more positive ending to the original story in a way that was enjoyable.
Reading this work was like reading something written contemporaneously to the original work. The author chose to explore the supernatural aspects of the original work, and the way they were incorporated into this retelling was wonderful. Suri also allowed Catherine to have a voice through this work, as her story has always been told through the eyes of others. The characters in this retelling didn’t feel close to the original characters to me at first, but the more I read, the more I saw the similarities and how they were actively being shaped into the traditional characters. That being said, I do feel that Catherine was portrayed as much sadder/depressed than her original descriptions, but it didn’t detract from the work for me.
The narrators did an amazing job with this work. Their voices were exactly how I imagined Catherine and Heathcliff would sound, and they brought such life into these characters. I think this work would still be enjoyable for those not familiar with Wuthering Heights, and maybe even for those who didn’t enjoy the original book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to review a copy of this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
September 26, 2023
Once upon a time, someone told me that Tasha Suri had written a riff on Wuthering Heights, a book which basically became my entire identity for a year when I was growing up. AND WHEN I SAY THAT I INSTABOUGHT THIS BOOK—
Okay, let me calm down.
This book was everything I was hoping it would be. Suri's prose is just so gorgeous and lyrical that it's hard to describe unless you've read it before. There are very few authors I would trust to rewrite any part of Wuthering Heights, but it's safe to say that Tasha Suri is one of them.
What Souls Are Made Of is definitely best for people who have already read or watched some version of Wuthering Heights, though I suspect that readers who aren't familiar with the material could still enjoy it. Suri adds a lot of depth and humanity to the original story by fleshing out Catherine and Heathcliff's trauma and by making the reader directly understand how the characters have come to be the way that they are. Suri has also given far more meaning to Heathcliff's originally ambiguous, dark-skinned heritage by detailing it and explaining what it means to him. Some of the most moving and beautifully written parts of the book have to do with Heathcliff and Catherine each grappling with the shreds of their old ties to India, with half-remembered scraps of memory tied to objects in the book.
I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll remain vague on the ending of the book. All I will say is that it both surprised me and hit me in the feels. I'm overwhelmingly pleased that Suri chose to end the book in the way that she did.
This book is such a worthy and loving addition to its source material. I'm so glad that I read it.
Okay, let me calm down.
This book was everything I was hoping it would be. Suri's prose is just so gorgeous and lyrical that it's hard to describe unless you've read it before. There are very few authors I would trust to rewrite any part of Wuthering Heights, but it's safe to say that Tasha Suri is one of them.
What Souls Are Made Of is definitely best for people who have already read or watched some version of Wuthering Heights, though I suspect that readers who aren't familiar with the material could still enjoy it. Suri adds a lot of depth and humanity to the original story by fleshing out Catherine and Heathcliff's trauma and by making the reader directly understand how the characters have come to be the way that they are. Suri has also given far more meaning to Heathcliff's originally ambiguous, dark-skinned heritage by detailing it and explaining what it means to him. Some of the most moving and beautifully written parts of the book have to do with Heathcliff and Catherine each grappling with the shreds of their old ties to India, with half-remembered scraps of memory tied to objects in the book.
I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll remain vague on the ending of the book. All I will say is that it both surprised me and hit me in the feels. I'm overwhelmingly pleased that Suri chose to end the book in the way that she did.
This book is such a worthy and loving addition to its source material. I'm so glad that I read it.
June 13, 2020
As a history major, I’m intrigued! And as someone who suffered through the original Wuthering Heights, doubly so!
(Please let this Heathcliff be a character I don’t want to murder brutally due to his inherent dislikability, please please please. 🙏🏻)
(Please let this Heathcliff be a character I don’t want to murder brutally due to his inherent dislikability, please please please. 🙏🏻)
September 11, 2025
3.5 stars.
Usually I'm not a fan of melodrama or romance, but Tasha Suri's prose combined with Becca Hirani and Alex Williams's audiobook narration were like sirens luring in my sailor ass.
Usually I'm not a fan of melodrama or romance, but Tasha Suri's prose combined with Becca Hirani and Alex Williams's audiobook narration were like sirens luring in my sailor ass.
January 16, 2022
Thank you so much to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I have been so excited for What Souls Are Made Of ever since Tasha Suri announced that she was writing a YA South Asian remix of Wuthering Heights. This book surpassed all my expectations. It was everything I wanted out of a desi gothic historical novel and I loved how refreshing the story felt even while being taken from a well-known (and noticeably white) classic. Seeing words like nazar, samudra, and more right next to the names of some of the most famous characters in English literature was quite an experience, honestly, and only Tasha Suri could master such storytelling.
One of the reasons why Wuthering Heights on its own isn’t a classic I particularly like is because of how depressing and sad the story generally is. However, Tasha Suri decided to go for a more hopeful approach while still keeping the same heart-wrenching themes of the original story. Reading Catherine and Heathcliff’s individual chapters in which they talk to one another (without knowing if the other still cares for them) destroyed me. I also really loved how this story focused on Heathcliff and Catherine’s voices instead of the story being told in Nelly's POV.
Speaking of Catherine and Heathcliff, I loved following their individual journeys throughout the novel. Seeing Heathcliff’s growth from being a scrappy “nobody” mad at everyone and everything in the world to fighting for what he believes in and finding a family among John, Jamie, Annie, and Hetty. I also loved seeing Catherine’s growth from being a snooty daughter of a nobleman to having compassion for everyone around her, even those of lower social standing. Their individual journeys in which they explored and discovered their Indian heritage was the highlight of their character arcs, especially at a time when Indians were exploited and mistreated horribly by the British. British colonialism is no secret in history of course, but even as an Indian-American myself, it wasn’t until college until I properly learned of the atrocities committed by the British against Indians. It was honestly so cathartic to see Heathcliff and Catherine come to terms with their British-Indian identity in a society that doesn’t care for people like them (which indirectly forced them to not care for people like them as well) and accept their birth parents’ decisions. I highly recommend this book for any South Asian diaspora readers out there when it releases in June!
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I have been so excited for What Souls Are Made Of ever since Tasha Suri announced that she was writing a YA South Asian remix of Wuthering Heights. This book surpassed all my expectations. It was everything I wanted out of a desi gothic historical novel and I loved how refreshing the story felt even while being taken from a well-known (and noticeably white) classic. Seeing words like nazar, samudra, and more right next to the names of some of the most famous characters in English literature was quite an experience, honestly, and only Tasha Suri could master such storytelling.
One of the reasons why Wuthering Heights on its own isn’t a classic I particularly like is because of how depressing and sad the story generally is. However, Tasha Suri decided to go for a more hopeful approach while still keeping the same heart-wrenching themes of the original story. Reading Catherine and Heathcliff’s individual chapters in which they talk to one another (without knowing if the other still cares for them) destroyed me. I also really loved how this story focused on Heathcliff and Catherine’s voices instead of the story being told in Nelly's POV.
Speaking of Catherine and Heathcliff, I loved following their individual journeys throughout the novel. Seeing Heathcliff’s growth from being a scrappy “nobody” mad at everyone and everything in the world to fighting for what he believes in and finding a family among John, Jamie, Annie, and Hetty. I also loved seeing Catherine’s growth from being a snooty daughter of a nobleman to having compassion for everyone around her, even those of lower social standing. Their individual journeys in which they explored and discovered their Indian heritage was the highlight of their character arcs, especially at a time when Indians were exploited and mistreated horribly by the British. British colonialism is no secret in history of course, but even as an Indian-American myself, it wasn’t until college until I properly learned of the atrocities committed by the British against Indians. It was honestly so cathartic to see Heathcliff and Catherine come to terms with their British-Indian identity in a society that doesn’t care for people like them (which indirectly forced them to not care for people like them as well) and accept their birth parents’ decisions. I highly recommend this book for any South Asian diaspora readers out there when it releases in June!
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to-read-maybe
November 19, 2021that cover is certainly something...
June 17, 2022
CW (from the author): This book contains abusive family dynamics, including physical and emotional abuse, child endangerment, and forced family separation. The story also contains depictions or references to racism, famine and hunger, slavery, parental death/bereavement, alcoholism, and mental illness.
I have very few classics which I even like a little bit and I can confidently say Wuthering Heights isn’t one of them, and I never thought I would enthusiastically read a retelling of the story. But that’s what happens when my most favorite author Tasha decides to tell it, I pounce on it with grabby hands because how could I not. I was so upset when my arc requests got rejected and I was waiting for the release when I got the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, and I can’t even say how ecstatic I was about it. And the book was everything and nothing like I expected it to be.
Having followed Tasha on social media for a few years, I think I know a teeny bit about her sensibilities and there are a couple of elements I’ve come to realize she absolutely loves in both writing herself and the media she consumes - gothic atmosphere and yearning. And she has decided to infuse these elements in spades in this book. I don’t have enough words to describe the writing here but stunning is one that surely comes to mind; the words captivated me instantly and had me in their grip throughout without ever letting go. The atmosphere the author creates is all pervasive and I could feel the howling winds, the creaking wood, the fear that comes with confronting the ghosts within and without, and the terror that is not knowing one’s own past and not being able to determine one’s own future. The yearning for freedom and understanding and that one person who completely knows you (知己 really is the perfect word that comes to mind) seeps into you through these pages and makes you feel every single gut wrenching emotion.
So yes, this is a love story and one that both nurtures and destroys. But the author infuses so much more depth into the classic. Colonialism might never be shown in any of the classics that we end up reading but Tasha is not one to shy away from the horrors of the times, and here we get an intimate glimpse into the lives of those who are separated from their homelands - either through force or circumstances - and have to fight for every scrap of survival, while forgetting their own identity, hoping for a reprieve. But even while talking about the bleak lives of these forgotten people, the author manages to show the bonds that develop between them when they have nothing more left to lose, and what a hopeful feeling it is to want to work together for the betterment of each other’s lives, all while reclaiming some part of their forgotten identity. Tasha has a list of book recommendations at the end featuring colonialism, the lives of Indian settlers in Britain during those times and the forgotten history of the minorities and immigrants who were very much a part of the country even in the eighteenth century; and I’m very interested to get to these books and learn more.
I don’t think I ever finished reading Wuthering Heights but I do remember skimming through a movie adaptation of it but not liking either the story much or the characters. And tbh, I started off feeling the same about the characters here as well and it was the gorgeous prose that kept me going. Cathy is a haunted young woman, who has found it always difficult to fit in and thinks that she wants a life of peace and abundance, and especially escape from her home full of ghosts. But she also has this wildness in her which yearns for freedom and feels terrified at being confined to the life of a rich gentleman’s wife. She can come across as bratty and selfish but it is clear that she is also depressed and missing the one person who she feels most connected to.
Heathcliff is also a character who is haunted by the past that feels just out of the corner of his mind, is beaten and bruised and humiliated but survives because of his unexplainable connection with Cathy. But when he finds himself away from her, he gets the opportunity to learn more about his forgotten identity as well as meet people who come from similar backgrounds and are living in dire straits, struggling for survival.
While we only get to see the bond that they share in glimpses during flashbacks, it’s obvious how much they feel for the other, almost bordering on obsession. But the character progression they each go through happens when they are separated and are able to explore and learn what is most important to them, how to achieve it, and what they are ready to do for each other. There is a lot of ferocity and wildness in their personalities and even in their relationship which is usually only tamed and satisfied when they are with each other, but when they are separated, they hone it to find their purpose in life and their way back to each other.
There are quite a few side characters but it’s hard to say any of them is very memorable when we have two main characters whose presence is very overwhelming. But the found family that Heathcliff finds in Liverpool in James, Hal, Hettie, Annie, Mrs. Hussain and her family are unforgettable and are the catalyst for him realizing that anger is not his only emotion and he can be more than the vile words that others use to humiliate him. Cathy’s family on the other hand is all full of anger and despair and it infects every little bit of their home and lives and while Nelly tries to keep the peace and Cathy’s nephew Hareton safe, her brother Hindley is a ticking time bomb they all have to walk on eggshells around. Edgar and Isabella are the embodiments of a safe and rich life that Cathy can choose if only she can let go of her soulmate.
In the end, I don’t think I can even say whether I liked this book or loved it or didn’t - all I can say is I felt every bit of it. The words here are magic, the story both horrible and hopeful, and one goes through a gamut of feelings while reading this book before landing on that tiny bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Whether you are a fan of Wuthering Heights or not, if you want to be transported into this gothic world of pain and love and obsession and more, and experience the beauty of Tasha’s prose, I highly recommend this book. I promise it’ll get its hooks in you pretty quickly and make you not wanna leave. This definitely is my favorite of the four remixed classics I’ve read till date but I’m also looking forward to be wowed by the upcoming ones, especially Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Till then, I’ll ruminate on these lovely words…
“I know now, that I’d send my soul to you wherever you are. Because wherever you are is where I belong.”
I have very few classics which I even like a little bit and I can confidently say Wuthering Heights isn’t one of them, and I never thought I would enthusiastically read a retelling of the story. But that’s what happens when my most favorite author Tasha decides to tell it, I pounce on it with grabby hands because how could I not. I was so upset when my arc requests got rejected and I was waiting for the release when I got the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, and I can’t even say how ecstatic I was about it. And the book was everything and nothing like I expected it to be.
Having followed Tasha on social media for a few years, I think I know a teeny bit about her sensibilities and there are a couple of elements I’ve come to realize she absolutely loves in both writing herself and the media she consumes - gothic atmosphere and yearning. And she has decided to infuse these elements in spades in this book. I don’t have enough words to describe the writing here but stunning is one that surely comes to mind; the words captivated me instantly and had me in their grip throughout without ever letting go. The atmosphere the author creates is all pervasive and I could feel the howling winds, the creaking wood, the fear that comes with confronting the ghosts within and without, and the terror that is not knowing one’s own past and not being able to determine one’s own future. The yearning for freedom and understanding and that one person who completely knows you (知己 really is the perfect word that comes to mind) seeps into you through these pages and makes you feel every single gut wrenching emotion.
So yes, this is a love story and one that both nurtures and destroys. But the author infuses so much more depth into the classic. Colonialism might never be shown in any of the classics that we end up reading but Tasha is not one to shy away from the horrors of the times, and here we get an intimate glimpse into the lives of those who are separated from their homelands - either through force or circumstances - and have to fight for every scrap of survival, while forgetting their own identity, hoping for a reprieve. But even while talking about the bleak lives of these forgotten people, the author manages to show the bonds that develop between them when they have nothing more left to lose, and what a hopeful feeling it is to want to work together for the betterment of each other’s lives, all while reclaiming some part of their forgotten identity. Tasha has a list of book recommendations at the end featuring colonialism, the lives of Indian settlers in Britain during those times and the forgotten history of the minorities and immigrants who were very much a part of the country even in the eighteenth century; and I’m very interested to get to these books and learn more.
I don’t think I ever finished reading Wuthering Heights but I do remember skimming through a movie adaptation of it but not liking either the story much or the characters. And tbh, I started off feeling the same about the characters here as well and it was the gorgeous prose that kept me going. Cathy is a haunted young woman, who has found it always difficult to fit in and thinks that she wants a life of peace and abundance, and especially escape from her home full of ghosts. But she also has this wildness in her which yearns for freedom and feels terrified at being confined to the life of a rich gentleman’s wife. She can come across as bratty and selfish but it is clear that she is also depressed and missing the one person who she feels most connected to.
Heathcliff is also a character who is haunted by the past that feels just out of the corner of his mind, is beaten and bruised and humiliated but survives because of his unexplainable connection with Cathy. But when he finds himself away from her, he gets the opportunity to learn more about his forgotten identity as well as meet people who come from similar backgrounds and are living in dire straits, struggling for survival.
While we only get to see the bond that they share in glimpses during flashbacks, it’s obvious how much they feel for the other, almost bordering on obsession. But the character progression they each go through happens when they are separated and are able to explore and learn what is most important to them, how to achieve it, and what they are ready to do for each other. There is a lot of ferocity and wildness in their personalities and even in their relationship which is usually only tamed and satisfied when they are with each other, but when they are separated, they hone it to find their purpose in life and their way back to each other.
There are quite a few side characters but it’s hard to say any of them is very memorable when we have two main characters whose presence is very overwhelming. But the found family that Heathcliff finds in Liverpool in James, Hal, Hettie, Annie, Mrs. Hussain and her family are unforgettable and are the catalyst for him realizing that anger is not his only emotion and he can be more than the vile words that others use to humiliate him. Cathy’s family on the other hand is all full of anger and despair and it infects every little bit of their home and lives and while Nelly tries to keep the peace and Cathy’s nephew Hareton safe, her brother Hindley is a ticking time bomb they all have to walk on eggshells around. Edgar and Isabella are the embodiments of a safe and rich life that Cathy can choose if only she can let go of her soulmate.
In the end, I don’t think I can even say whether I liked this book or loved it or didn’t - all I can say is I felt every bit of it. The words here are magic, the story both horrible and hopeful, and one goes through a gamut of feelings while reading this book before landing on that tiny bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Whether you are a fan of Wuthering Heights or not, if you want to be transported into this gothic world of pain and love and obsession and more, and experience the beauty of Tasha’s prose, I highly recommend this book. I promise it’ll get its hooks in you pretty quickly and make you not wanna leave. This definitely is my favorite of the four remixed classics I’ve read till date but I’m also looking forward to be wowed by the upcoming ones, especially Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Till then, I’ll ruminate on these lovely words…
“I know now, that I’d send my soul to you wherever you are. Because wherever you are is where I belong.”
March 8, 2022
This is an absolutely gorgeous reimagining. From reading Wuthering Heights as a teen, I can't say I remember much of the exact story, but I did remember the characters, and most importantly, the atmosphere. This book really captured that, and I loved the twist the author added to the story. It's absolutely beautifully written, and I could easily see this being taught in schools alongside or instead of the original novel.
October 26, 2023
Beautifully and sensitively written, but much, MUCH softer than the original.
Catherine and Heathcliff both felt more softened in this version, and a lot of the turmoil and angst was taken out. A more hopeful ending, which may make this more palatable for some, but it lacked the gut punch rawness of the original.
Catherine and Heathcliff both felt more softened in this version, and a lot of the turmoil and angst was taken out. A more hopeful ending, which may make this more palatable for some, but it lacked the gut punch rawness of the original.
July 4, 2022
ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.
3 LYRICAL STARS
This was a really interesting book! It was beautifully written and had the most STUNNING descriptive language, and I absolutely adored the bond between Heathcliff and Cathy. I’m a sucker for any soulmate bond type thing – whether it’s fantasy and there’s a literal bond, or if two people are just so close that they must be soulmates – and this book gave me that second one in bucketloads.
“How can he love me if he can’t see Heathcliff? Heathcliff is me.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)
Now two things you should know:
1. I have never read Wuthering Heights (of which this book is based off)
2. Going into this book I knew next to nothing about England’s history with India
For these reasons, I wasn’t very sure what to expect while starting this novel – I just saw ‘Tasha Suri’ and ‘desi retelling of an old classic’ and was desperate to read it instantly. And do not get me wrong – this book definitely held my attention, the storyline was interesting and I loved seeing the growth that both characters went through – but I do have to say that at times the story felt a little slow, and perhaps a little too lyrical. Also it did slightly irritate me how long the two mains took to reunite… though I suppose it was worth it in the end, as both their character arcs blossomed beautifully in their time separated. I also did definitely really enjoy learning about the history of the novel, and about English colonisation in India. There were lots of important facts spread throughout the book, and Suri wrote them in beautifully and very naturally, which was so wonderful. Also: biracial Asian rep! Woo! And white-passing biracial Asian rep, which hits even closer to home. I love to see it!
All in all, I did enjoy reading this and learning some new history, but at times the novel got a little slow. Nonetheless, I do recommend, and I thank the author, publisher and Colored Pages Tours for the ARC copy provided :)).
3 LYRICAL STARS
This was a really interesting book! It was beautifully written and had the most STUNNING descriptive language, and I absolutely adored the bond between Heathcliff and Cathy. I’m a sucker for any soulmate bond type thing – whether it’s fantasy and there’s a literal bond, or if two people are just so close that they must be soulmates – and this book gave me that second one in bucketloads.
“How can he love me if he can’t see Heathcliff? Heathcliff is me.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)
Now two things you should know:
1. I have never read Wuthering Heights (of which this book is based off)
2. Going into this book I knew next to nothing about England’s history with India
For these reasons, I wasn’t very sure what to expect while starting this novel – I just saw ‘Tasha Suri’ and ‘desi retelling of an old classic’ and was desperate to read it instantly. And do not get me wrong – this book definitely held my attention, the storyline was interesting and I loved seeing the growth that both characters went through – but I do have to say that at times the story felt a little slow, and perhaps a little too lyrical. Also it did slightly irritate me how long the two mains took to reunite… though I suppose it was worth it in the end, as both their character arcs blossomed beautifully in their time separated. I also did definitely really enjoy learning about the history of the novel, and about English colonisation in India. There were lots of important facts spread throughout the book, and Suri wrote them in beautifully and very naturally, which was so wonderful. Also: biracial Asian rep! Woo! And white-passing biracial Asian rep, which hits even closer to home. I love to see it!
All in all, I did enjoy reading this and learning some new history, but at times the novel got a little slow. Nonetheless, I do recommend, and I thank the author, publisher and Colored Pages Tours for the ARC copy provided :)).
November 14, 2021
4 stars
Update 7/19/22
The following review can be found at Dear Author:
The review continues here:
https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/o...
11/14/21
How do I want thee, What Souls are Made of? Let me count the ways:
Wuthering Heights lover? Check.
Likes books with romantic elements and diversity? Yes to the nines.
Enjoys reading about the Victorian period? And how.
A history of adoring YA? Hell yeah.
A committed reader of all future works born from the pen of Tasha Suri? You bet, and if you haven't read The Jasmine Throne yet, what are you waiting for? You won't find a better fantasy novel published this year.
Finally, her description of why she wrote this book made me want it right now:
Adult readers too, for that matter.
Update 7/19/22
The following review can be found at Dear Author:
Jennie: When Janine brought this book to my attention and suggested we review it together, I was both intrigued and trepidatious. There exists a theory that readers are either Jane Eyre fans or Wuthering Heights fans, and that never the twain shall meet. Of course there are readers who love or hate or are indifferent to both books, but given that they written by sisters, each with her own unique take on romantic love, comparisons are inevitable.
Anyway, in my mind, Janine is a Wuthering Heights person and I am a Jane Eyre person. That is, I’m sure, a simplistic distillation of reality; Janine can speak more to her feelings on each book, obviously. I have read Jane Eyre twice, in high school and college, and seen countless adaptations of it. I’m not a die-hard fan but I like it a lot; I think Jane is an awesome, unique character and Rochester is entertainingly broody and the story progresses in an interesting way,
Janine: I felt trepidation too, but for different reasons. I love retellings of fairy tales but retellings of literary classics often don’t work for me, because the voice of the original author and the voice of the retelling author are different. Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite classics, so a retelling of it is a particularly tall order to pull off. But this one is by Tasha Suri, the author of my favorite book of 2021 (The Jasmine Throne, the first installment of The Burning Kingdoms, an epic romantic fantasy trilogy) and her explanation of why she wanted to retell this particular story made me feel she got Wuthering Heights.
The review continues here:
https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/o...
11/14/21
How do I want thee, What Souls are Made of? Let me count the ways:
Wuthering Heights lover? Check.
Likes books with romantic elements and diversity? Yes to the nines.
Enjoys reading about the Victorian period? And how.
A history of adoring YA? Hell yeah.
A committed reader of all future works born from the pen of Tasha Suri? You bet, and if you haven't read The Jasmine Throne yet, what are you waiting for? You won't find a better fantasy novel published this year.
Finally, her description of why she wrote this book made me want it right now:
Suri called the classic novel a favorite of hers, “a strange and polarizing book: dark and gothic, passionately romantic and pointedly cruel. It’s also the story of the destructive influence of a boy who doesn’t belong: a boy who looks ‘foreign’ without having any particular history of cultural identity; a monstrous boy who has no place, no family, no right to want things, and wants them anyway. I want to write a reclamation that says: everyone comes from somewhere, and colonialism may try to make us its monsters, but we don’t have to let it. I hope my re-imagining will also help make readers a little more aware of the long, long history of South Asians in Britain. There’s so much history that we’re not taught that young readers deserve to know about.”
Adult readers too, for that matter.
December 14, 2024
I REALLY enjoyed this take on Wuthering Heights 😃😍❤
I thought it was a great, and very nuanced, exploration of the possible story, and stories, of Heathcliff and Catherine...
Heathcliff trying to identify and understand his origins... finding his way into communities of colour... the lived realities of race, and class, work and poverty.
Catherine both exploring and suppressing her racialised identities, oscillating between the two, awa navigating her gendered experiences... until eventually finding herself, and hope and happiness with Heathcliff.
the moors, the birds, and feathers.. 🌿🐦🪶💚
class, colonialism, race, gender, identity, community in the city... ❤💜🖤❤
🌟
accessed as a library audiobook, read by Alex Williams and Becca Hirani (spelled by ear).
I liked that both narrators had Northern English accents, in keeping with the area the novel is set 🙂
I thought it was a great, and very nuanced, exploration of the possible story, and stories, of Heathcliff and Catherine...
Heathcliff trying to identify and understand his origins... finding his way into communities of colour... the lived realities of race, and class, work and poverty.
Catherine both exploring and suppressing her racialised identities, oscillating between the two, awa navigating her gendered experiences... until eventually finding herself, and hope and happiness with Heathcliff.
the moors, the birds, and feathers.. 🌿🐦🪶💚
class, colonialism, race, gender, identity, community in the city... ❤💜🖤❤
🌟
accessed as a library audiobook, read by Alex Williams and Becca Hirani (spelled by ear).
I liked that both narrators had Northern English accents, in keeping with the area the novel is set 🙂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2022
audiobook provided by netgalley in exhange for an honest review.
what souls are made of starts a very interesting conversation regarding england's brutal colonization in India and what it means and takes to reclaim your heritage with suri's typical prose: stunning, smart and very gothic! but it reads more like wuthering heights fanfiction than it does a retelling, (remix?) which i hate. also very dull at parts, particularly heathcliff's chapters, and personally i found both his and cathy's characters unfamiliar and unnervingly different from the source material. and where was the wildness!! the feralness!!! the absolutely crazy unhinged dialogues and insane descriptions!!!! how can you call something wuthering heightsesque without people biting and snarling and yelling and digging out graves!!!!!!!
but overrall good! and even though i have a bitter dislike of retellings (or as suri calls it on the author's note, reimaginings), i did really enjoy it
(narration was also great! but i found that cathy's narrator, while lovely, was wayy too soft spoken for a character like cathy. suri's cathy is much more sad than she is feral, which i guess makes sense but goddamn did i want to hear some snarling)
what souls are made of starts a very interesting conversation regarding england's brutal colonization in India and what it means and takes to reclaim your heritage with suri's typical prose: stunning, smart and very gothic! but it reads more like wuthering heights fanfiction than it does a retelling, (remix?) which i hate. also very dull at parts, particularly heathcliff's chapters, and personally i found both his and cathy's characters unfamiliar and unnervingly different from the source material. and where was the wildness!! the feralness!!! the absolutely crazy unhinged dialogues and insane descriptions!!!! how can you call something wuthering heightsesque without people biting and snarling and yelling and digging out graves!!!!!!!
but overrall good! and even though i have a bitter dislike of retellings (or as suri calls it on the author's note, reimaginings), i did really enjoy it
(narration was also great! but i found that cathy's narrator, while lovely, was wayy too soft spoken for a character like cathy. suri's cathy is much more sad than she is feral, which i guess makes sense but goddamn did i want to hear some snarling)
July 5, 2022
4.5 stars
Loved this so much (says the reader who feels ambivalent-bordering-on-negative toward the source material). A+ audiobook performance from debut narrators — Alex Williams and Becca Hirani nailed the Yorkshire (?) accent while keeping the melancholy/gothic vibes. Read via audio (narrated by Alex Williams and Becca Hirani).
Disclaimer: While I read an audiobook copy that I purchased after publication, I initially received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Loved this so much (says the reader who feels ambivalent-bordering-on-negative toward the source material). A+ audiobook performance from debut narrators — Alex Williams and Becca Hirani nailed the Yorkshire (?) accent while keeping the melancholy/gothic vibes. Read via audio (narrated by Alex Williams and Becca Hirani).
Disclaimer: While I read an audiobook copy that I purchased after publication, I initially received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 5, 2025
Very ao3-readable! That’s mostly a compliment haha, the present-tense emotionality really hooked me and also worked well for these specific characters. The choice to update this specific story in this specific style was a very smart one.
The book suffers a teensy bit of the typical ao3-esque lack of editing, especially near the end, and Cathy’s characterization started to gap in a few key moments - clearly moments that Suri felt she had to keep more or less as-is from the book.
This is by far the best of the these classics remixed books I’ve read—maybe helped along by the fact that I hated but also have totally forgotten Wuthering Heights—but it also felt very reminiscent of an AP English assignment I did where the teacher had us write alternate endings to Jane Eyre. Trying to stay realistic but also “safe” for high school teacher consumption* I wrote something that was very banal and low-conflict, where everything worked out and they still ended up together, and that’s a little bit how this book’s ending felt too. I don’t dislike its HEA at all but I think it could have been even more effective if Suri had resisted the urge to tie up in a bow every single last plot thread.
*lol! Shout out to that teacher - at the end of the year, just before graduation, I finally got bored enough to start reading the author blurbs and quotes that were on the walls of her classroom and went - Oscar Wilde…. Gertrude Stein… Virginia Woolf… Emily Dickinson… EM Forster…. Wilfred Owen… wait a second here……!!
The book suffers a teensy bit of the typical ao3-esque lack of editing, especially near the end, and Cathy’s characterization started to gap in a few key moments - clearly moments that Suri felt she had to keep more or less as-is from the book.
This is by far the best of the these classics remixed books I’ve read—maybe helped along by the fact that I hated but also have totally forgotten Wuthering Heights—but it also felt very reminiscent of an AP English assignment I did where the teacher had us write alternate endings to Jane Eyre. Trying to stay realistic but also “safe” for high school teacher consumption* I wrote something that was very banal and low-conflict, where everything worked out and they still ended up together, and that’s a little bit how this book’s ending felt too. I don’t dislike its HEA at all but I think it could have been even more effective if Suri had resisted the urge to tie up in a bow every single last plot thread.
*lol! Shout out to that teacher - at the end of the year, just before graduation, I finally got bored enough to start reading the author blurbs and quotes that were on the walls of her classroom and went - Oscar Wilde…. Gertrude Stein… Virginia Woolf… Emily Dickinson… EM Forster…. Wilfred Owen… wait a second here……!!
July 2, 2022
This book!!! Ever since we heard Tasha Suri was writing a riff on Wuthering Heights we wanted to read it, and it does not disappoint. Written from alternating POV chapters between Cathy and Heathcliff's perspectives, we explore the time in Wuthering Heights where the two are separated. (Spoilers for the Emily Bronte original follow.) In the original, Heathcliff is somewhere making his fortune and swearing revenge on the Earnshaws, while Cathy is marrying Edgar Linton. In What Souls Are Made Of, we finally get Catherine's voice and motivations.
Suri also takes the scant evidence of the source text (that Heathcliff is "dark" and could be the son of the "emperor of China and ... an Indian queen") and bases her retelling on the possibility that Cathy is the illegitimate daughter of Mr. Earnshaw and his Indian mistress. The history is deftly woven into the text, with elements of Gothic horror from the original building on the characters' understanding of their pasts.
Note that while Suri's book unflinchingly presents the domestic violence, alcoholism, and racism from the original, it has a different (much happier) ending. If you are familiar with the original, you can recognize several turning points in the book where what would have led to tragedy are instead transformative moments for the text and the characters.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the book.
Suri also takes the scant evidence of the source text (that Heathcliff is "dark" and could be the son of the "emperor of China and ... an Indian queen") and bases her retelling on the possibility that Cathy is the illegitimate daughter of Mr. Earnshaw and his Indian mistress. The history is deftly woven into the text, with elements of Gothic horror from the original building on the characters' understanding of their pasts.
Note that while Suri's book unflinchingly presents the domestic violence, alcoholism, and racism from the original, it has a different (much happier) ending. If you are familiar with the original, you can recognize several turning points in the book where what would have led to tragedy are instead transformative moments for the text and the characters.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the book.
August 22, 2021
Tasha Suri x Wuthering Heights retelling... I am Looking Directly
----
“I bound you, so you must return home to me. Or I shall haunt you until the end of both of us. I vow it.”
Heathcliff is an abandoned son of a lascar and finds himself in the Yorkshire moors, where he is immediately recognized as an outsider, with a foreign tongue. There, he meets Cathy, the estate’s daughter, who’s being groomed to enter proper society. But Heathcliff sees Cathy’s soul–he recognizes that she comes from the same place as him, and thus begins their love story.
Oh, when they said Tasha Suri was doing a retelling of Wuthering Heights, I hopped on that train so fast. And she did not disappoint. This book explores that which was glossed over in Brontë’s version, particularly regarding the ghosts of colonialism and the history of Indians in 18th century Britain. In the original, Heathcliff is considered an Other, demonized and treated horribly.
This book plays on that, but also imagines Cathy as a mixed daughter, who’s light-skinned enough to pass as white. However, Heathcliff and Cathy are tied together, as they both come from the same place, and they deeply understand one another. Both of them struggle with this sense of loss, unable to truly articulate their grief (Cathy’s connection to her mother; forgotten tongues). They’re unmoored from their history, but they’re bound to the Heights. Their sorrow is so palpable, it makes my bones ache. And yet, and yet, they find solace in each other.
Wuthering Heights is an unhinged story about violence and tragedy, but I was deeply appreciative of Suri’s spin on this to give these characters hope and love. I do feel that you’ll appreciate it more deeply if you’ve read the original (let’s just say it was satisfying to see what happens to Nelly, lmao).
The prose is lovely; Suri writes gorgeously. I was surprised at how simple (but still powerful) the language was compared to her adult books, but this is a YA retelling (so it makes sense it’s less complex) and I think this speaks to how much range and talent Suri has. This book really made me feel tender.
“Then he reached his hand for me and touched his fingertip behind my ear.
‘For nazar,’ he said, pressing the dirt on his skin behind my ear. I let him.”
----
“I bound you, so you must return home to me. Or I shall haunt you until the end of both of us. I vow it.”
Heathcliff is an abandoned son of a lascar and finds himself in the Yorkshire moors, where he is immediately recognized as an outsider, with a foreign tongue. There, he meets Cathy, the estate’s daughter, who’s being groomed to enter proper society. But Heathcliff sees Cathy’s soul–he recognizes that she comes from the same place as him, and thus begins their love story.
Oh, when they said Tasha Suri was doing a retelling of Wuthering Heights, I hopped on that train so fast. And she did not disappoint. This book explores that which was glossed over in Brontë’s version, particularly regarding the ghosts of colonialism and the history of Indians in 18th century Britain. In the original, Heathcliff is considered an Other, demonized and treated horribly.
This book plays on that, but also imagines Cathy as a mixed daughter, who’s light-skinned enough to pass as white. However, Heathcliff and Cathy are tied together, as they both come from the same place, and they deeply understand one another. Both of them struggle with this sense of loss, unable to truly articulate their grief (Cathy’s connection to her mother; forgotten tongues). They’re unmoored from their history, but they’re bound to the Heights. Their sorrow is so palpable, it makes my bones ache. And yet, and yet, they find solace in each other.
Wuthering Heights is an unhinged story about violence and tragedy, but I was deeply appreciative of Suri’s spin on this to give these characters hope and love. I do feel that you’ll appreciate it more deeply if you’ve read the original (let’s just say it was satisfying to see what happens to Nelly, lmao).
The prose is lovely; Suri writes gorgeously. I was surprised at how simple (but still powerful) the language was compared to her adult books, but this is a YA retelling (so it makes sense it’s less complex) and I think this speaks to how much range and talent Suri has. This book really made me feel tender.
“Then he reached his hand for me and touched his fingertip behind my ear.
‘For nazar,’ he said, pressing the dirt on his skin behind my ear. I let him.”
Want to Read
April 15, 2020please someone send me an arc, I'll do whatever y'all want. I literally have no pride.
Want to Read
February 15, 2022So we have a cover, but I am confused about one thing. Is this book YA? Because it's listed as such, but the guy on the cover looks like he's in his mid-20s with that goatee.
will-not-finish
October 2, 2022Abandoned at 28% mark of audiobook - Chapter 7 of 25
Listen, I tried my very best. But I suspect that this book would more effectively appeal to readers who have an adequate grasp of the source material, Wuthering Heights.
On my end, aside from vaguely understanding that Heathcliff and Catherine are the star couple of this classic novel, I have absolutely no background knowledge on what the story is about, how the plot develops, or what the original text aims to do. With that, I couldn't sustain my active interest in What Souls Are Made Of through vibes and atmosphere alone.
There's a lot of melancholy and resentment, as well as insightful nods to the colonization and exploitation of India. The prose itself is remarkably lyrical and evocative. Really, there's plenty of good things to say about this retelling!
To be perfectly honest, the problem in this situation is truly myself. I am my own enemy. - 02 October 2022
🌻🍃 More bookish content on Shut up, Shealea 🍃🌻
instagram • pinterest • twitter • ko-fi
Listen, I tried my very best. But I suspect that this book would more effectively appeal to readers who have an adequate grasp of the source material, Wuthering Heights.
On my end, aside from vaguely understanding that Heathcliff and Catherine are the star couple of this classic novel, I have absolutely no background knowledge on what the story is about, how the plot develops, or what the original text aims to do. With that, I couldn't sustain my active interest in What Souls Are Made Of through vibes and atmosphere alone.
There's a lot of melancholy and resentment, as well as insightful nods to the colonization and exploitation of India. The prose itself is remarkably lyrical and evocative. Really, there's plenty of good things to say about this retelling!
To be perfectly honest, the problem in this situation is truly myself. I am my own enemy. - 02 October 2022
🌻🍃 More bookish content on Shut up, Shealea 🍃🌻
instagram • pinterest • twitter • ko-fi
October 3, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up
Tasha Suri sticks to the original's atmospheric writing and boy, does she do it well. Surpasses the original in that regard, in fact. I enjoyed the updates and twists she added to this retelling. I think it may have gotten bogged down in the middle, and I had a few questions by the end, but this was very good.
Tasha Suri sticks to the original's atmospheric writing and boy, does she do it well. Surpasses the original in that regard, in fact. I enjoyed the updates and twists she added to this retelling. I think it may have gotten bogged down in the middle, and I had a few questions by the end, but this was very good.
August 21, 2024
páginas 320
genero retelling
buenas leí este retelling que me daba un poco de miedo porque fan de cumbres borrascosas pero la verdad me gustó. si bien solo abarca el comienzo de la historia y se toma sus libertades, me gustó que quizás le dio el tinte romántico que carece el original que vuelvo a repetir NO ES UN ROMANCE, jajajja
me gustaron las vueltas de tuerca que se le dieron a esta reversión, es entretenida y se lee super rápido. Se las recomiendo si se quedaron con ganas de romance en la historia original.
los leo
Daiu
genero retelling
buenas leí este retelling que me daba un poco de miedo porque fan de cumbres borrascosas pero la verdad me gustó. si bien solo abarca el comienzo de la historia y se toma sus libertades, me gustó que quizás le dio el tinte romántico que carece el original que vuelvo a repetir NO ES UN ROMANCE, jajajja
me gustaron las vueltas de tuerca que se le dieron a esta reversión, es entretenida y se lee super rápido. Se las recomiendo si se quedaron con ganas de romance en la historia original.
los leo
Daiu
July 4, 2022
“I can’t look long, but I can’t look away either. My stomach hurts when I stare at her face—the trusting eyes, the kneeling. They’ve painted her like she loves them. That’s most monstrous of all.”
Rating: 4/5
★★★★
As a longtime fan of fantasy, I must admit, I didn’t think much of What Souls Are Made Of at first, and also because I’m not big on classics and hadn’t read Wuthering Heights (I still haven’t!). But something made me sign up for the blog tour and I’m so thrilled to say that I don’t regret it one bit!
Starting off, I just want to say everyone that this isn’t a book you could flip through, for the high of it. What Souls Are Made Of is supposed to be slowly savoured, taking in the delights and atrocities. Tasha Suri creates a wonderfully gothic atmosphere while also shining light on the struggles and discrimination of Indian Disaporas back in the late 1700s.
I adored the concept and premise of this book—a South Asian reimagining of a seemingly white classic. While I can’t say much about the reimagining part of the story since I have never sat down to read Wuthering Heights, I can definitely confirm that the representation plays a huge role and is very impeccable towards the characters. Heathcliff and Cathy, our main characters, struggle to find themselves, learn about themselves. Both of their journeys took different routes, yet were somehow so similar, I found that very refreshing.
Tasha Suri’s take on colonialism and the horrors that the East India Company wrecked over India is not to be missed! Examining the historical contexts carefully, this is a wonderful spin that doesn’t sugarcoat anything. The correlation of the figurative ghosts of one’s past and literal ghosts was so nuanced and I adored the way it was narrated. What Souls Are Made Of also doesn’t shy away from showing the injustices (an understatement, honestly) done by the British Empire and also depicts racism and discrimination in a way one can’t outright ignore it.
Moving towards the prose and writing, I think it contributed a huge lot in creating the required atmosphere and is so very dark, if you get what I mean? The point of view is truly unique—although the author says it’s from third person, I felt it was a mix of all three; first, second and third. Reading it was truly special and amazing, I just can’t express the awe I went through in words.
Cathy and Heathcliff are two characters that are the annoying kind, who just can’t make you stop thinking about them. Their character arcs were definitely done justice and I just adored the ending. Both of them go through changes throughout the book and shine brighter in the end.
Read the full review on my blog! (see here)
February 14, 2024
"ɴᴏ sé ᴅᴇ ᴅóɴᴅᴇ ᴠᴇɴɢᴏ. ᴘᴇʀᴏ sé ᴅᴇ ᴅóɴᴅᴇ ᴠɪᴇɴᴇs ᴛú. ᴄᴏɴᴏᴢᴄᴏ ᴛᴜs sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛᴏs."
ʟᴀ ᴇsᴇɴᴄɪᴀ ᴅᴇ ɴᴜᴇsᴛʀᴀs ᴀʟᴍᴀs. ᴜɴ ʀᴇᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ᴅᴇ ᴄᴜᴍʙʀᴇs ʙᴏʀʀᴀsᴄᴏsᴀs
ᴀᴜᴛᴏʀᴀ: ᴛᴀsʜᴀ sᴜʀɪ
Tasha Suri nos trae una reimaginación del amado clásico de la literatura universal "Cumbres Borrascosas" de Emily Brontë publicado en 1847. La autora retoma un vacío dentro de la novela para contarnos la perspectiva de Catherine Earnshaw y Heathcliff. Y dándonos una historia de origen diferente.
ᴏᴘɪɴɪóɴ
"Cumbres Borrascosas" es uno de los clásicos que amas u odias. A lo que hacer un retelling debe ser todo un reto debido a las múltiples comparaciones, expectativas e interpretaciones que hay.
Me pareció interesante leer un retelling y es la primera vez que leo a Tasha Suri. Debo decir que me ha gustado mucho su estilo, es una lectura ligera y logra atraparte de inmediado.
Esta historia la divido en dos partes: la perspectiva de Heathcliff y la de Cathy, entre el campo y la ciudad. Cathy nos cuenta su historia desde Cumbres Borrascosas y Heathcliff desde los bajos fondos. Aunque Heathcliff sale de Cumbres ambos realizan "el viaje del héroe".
Me pareció curioso ver como Tasha no sólo le da su propio origen indio a los personajes (ella lo dice) sí no que además los toma como lo que son: adolescentes (termino actual). Ambos están en pleno crecimiento y tienen que tomar desiciones qué definan el resto de sus vidas. Así que tienen que decidir entre vivir en el odio y resentimiento o cambiar el rumbo.
En los primeros capítulos la autora respeta los acontecimientos de la historia original y debo señar que amé las referencias.😊 La perspectiva de Cathy es la más fiel al libro de Brontë porque sé desarrolla en Cumbres. Pero es en la de Heathcliff donde vemos más variaciones, tenemos personajes nuevos y otra trama. Estos admito que me parecieron aburriditos😬 a media novela ya me estaban cansando un poco. 😅
Esta historia es como el ¿Qué hubiera pasado sí...? También debo decir que no abarca toda la historia de la original. Al inicio podemos sentir el coraje que caracterizan los personajes de Brontë, pero conforme avanza la historia Tasha moldea a su modo los personajes.
Algo que me parece interesante es el nuevo origen que le dio la autora, nunca lo había visto de esa forma aunque también me parece una interpretación muy válida de la cuestión racial de Heathcliff. Este es otro de los vacíos en la historia original que sé aprovechan. Lo cual también es bueno, sé nota la investigación y cuidado que ha puesto para que suene lo más creíble posible.
Sé hace hincapié en el racismo y la situación de la mujer en la época. Sé ven a estos personajes desde una perspectiva más humana, espiritual y menos "diabólica" y mística. 😅
A lo que tenemos un final diferente que personalmente creo que es uno que habría dado más Charlotte Brontë que Emily (opinión personal). O simplemente el que creí una vez que tendría la historia original cuando la leí. 🙈
⭐⭐⭐3.8/5
ʟᴀ ᴇsᴇɴᴄɪᴀ ᴅᴇ ɴᴜᴇsᴛʀᴀs ᴀʟᴍᴀs. ᴜɴ ʀᴇᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ᴅᴇ ᴄᴜᴍʙʀᴇs ʙᴏʀʀᴀsᴄᴏsᴀs
ᴀᴜᴛᴏʀᴀ: ᴛᴀsʜᴀ sᴜʀɪ
Tasha Suri nos trae una reimaginación del amado clásico de la literatura universal "Cumbres Borrascosas" de Emily Brontë publicado en 1847. La autora retoma un vacío dentro de la novela para contarnos la perspectiva de Catherine Earnshaw y Heathcliff. Y dándonos una historia de origen diferente.
ᴏᴘɪɴɪóɴ
"Cumbres Borrascosas" es uno de los clásicos que amas u odias. A lo que hacer un retelling debe ser todo un reto debido a las múltiples comparaciones, expectativas e interpretaciones que hay.
Me pareció interesante leer un retelling y es la primera vez que leo a Tasha Suri. Debo decir que me ha gustado mucho su estilo, es una lectura ligera y logra atraparte de inmediado.
Esta historia la divido en dos partes: la perspectiva de Heathcliff y la de Cathy, entre el campo y la ciudad. Cathy nos cuenta su historia desde Cumbres Borrascosas y Heathcliff desde los bajos fondos. Aunque Heathcliff sale de Cumbres ambos realizan "el viaje del héroe".
Me pareció curioso ver como Tasha no sólo le da su propio origen indio a los personajes (ella lo dice) sí no que además los toma como lo que son: adolescentes (termino actual). Ambos están en pleno crecimiento y tienen que tomar desiciones qué definan el resto de sus vidas. Así que tienen que decidir entre vivir en el odio y resentimiento o cambiar el rumbo.
En los primeros capítulos la autora respeta los acontecimientos de la historia original y debo señar que amé las referencias.😊 La perspectiva de Cathy es la más fiel al libro de Brontë porque sé desarrolla en Cumbres. Pero es en la de Heathcliff donde vemos más variaciones, tenemos personajes nuevos y otra trama. Estos admito que me parecieron aburriditos😬 a media novela ya me estaban cansando un poco. 😅
Esta historia es como el ¿Qué hubiera pasado sí...? También debo decir que no abarca toda la historia de la original. Al inicio podemos sentir el coraje que caracterizan los personajes de Brontë, pero conforme avanza la historia Tasha moldea a su modo los personajes.
Algo que me parece interesante es el nuevo origen que le dio la autora, nunca lo había visto de esa forma aunque también me parece una interpretación muy válida de la cuestión racial de Heathcliff. Este es otro de los vacíos en la historia original que sé aprovechan. Lo cual también es bueno, sé nota la investigación y cuidado que ha puesto para que suene lo más creíble posible.
Sé hace hincapié en el racismo y la situación de la mujer en la época. Sé ven a estos personajes desde una perspectiva más humana, espiritual y menos "diabólica" y mística. 😅
A lo que tenemos un final diferente que personalmente creo que es uno que habría dado más Charlotte Brontë que Emily (opinión personal). O simplemente el que creí una vez que tendría la historia original cuando la leí. 🙈
⭐⭐⭐3.8/5
July 12, 2022
2.5/5 stars ... I'm one of those rare people (I think) who actually really likes "Wuthering Heights." I've read it many times, and it gets better and more understandable with every read. While I think this book does some interesting things with what it chooses to focus on, time-wise, and the explorations of the Indian-British imperialist history, I was disappointed with the removal of the second half of the novel. Yes, the original book is devastating and dark and tormented, but that's the point! Heathcliff and Catherine have a connection that ruins them, but they cannot go without one another. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Cathy literally haunts Heathcliff - she marries Edgar Linton, has a baby, Cathy, and dies during childbirth. So Hareton and Cathy #2 become a reincarnation of the Heathcliff/Catherine cycle, both hated because of the deaths of their mothers, both wild and untamed. I dunno, I like that this remix presents Bronte for a new generation but I think it's a disservice to candy coat the actual storyline.
January 7, 2025
hey guys, what if wuthering heights ended happily with cathy and heathcliff communicating and in a healthy relationship and heathcliff really cared about his friends and cathy really cared about changing the world and they wrote lots of letters to the east india company and wrote lots of articles to ask them to not be so horrifically racist. would that be good?
sigh. okay. mixed feelings on this one. it's honestly a perfectly decent, if generic and naive, YA novel, and I like how it examines racism and orientalism in pre regency-era england by exploring and expanding on heathcliff's canonical and often-ignored racial otherness, but like....it wasn't wuthering heights. heathcliff in this book literally turned into the soy boy beta cuck that canon cathy would have mocked for being a weak bitch. he’s such a fucking softboy. who WERE these kids by the end, and - crucially - who's the actual target audience for these remoxed books? classics enjoyers will find them lacking! YA fans looking for representation will probably enjoy them, but what’s the purpose of incorporating classics characters and plot so badly? a YA fan looking for rep who loves these classics will be likely frustrated by how they’ve been butchered, and a YA fan who doesn’t care for classics can read this as an original novel perfectly coherently without bringing in the prestige of the bronte title into it. it sounds like the publishers are just coasting off the coattails of a popular IP instead of doing the work to market an original story on ITS OWN MERITS….good lord....as a wuthering heights fan, I'm pissed off. as an enjoyer of diversity in historical works, I'm moved and excited by this story, but also disappointed with how simplistic it all turned out. as an occasional romance reader, I'm kind of bored.
the writing overall is fairly appealing and well done - the tone and style of the original is initially impressively copied, the atmosphere and structure are very nicely set up, and it’s well paced despite much of the story being introspection. lots of passion and intensity in the prose. and told with a lot of emotion. I especially enjoy the writing for nelly - I think the author just nailed her vibe.
I listened to the audiobook version - the narrators sound great - really young, like teenagers. they have specifically northern accents! really cool detail
I enjoyed how suri developed cathy and heathcliff’s relationship/intimacy purely via flashback and introspection. it got a little on the nose sometimes and the talk about souls was a little heavyhanded, but overall I liked it. and the nods to canon were really fun - like cathy talking about the tree branches near her window sounding like hands tapping on the glass, or reminiscing about when she wrote her name a bunch of times in her dad’s sermon book. and when she’s like ‘ugh they think if I experience too many powerful emotions I’m going to DIE. men don’t have to worry about this! fml’ that was really funny commentary on canon bc she really did die of female hysteria didn’t she 😭
despite some cracks early on, I was really liking this as a ~transformative~ work. fanfic? is it fanfic? I mean, I used to read tons of fanfic, most of it just isn't published. but this was pretty good - it expanded on characterization, filled in gaps in the timeline in fun ways, engaged with heathcliff and cathy’s heritage in meaningful and powerful ways, and - something I always like - summarizes memorable scenes and monologues in the original work by describing character emotions and thought processes in exciting ways rather than just repeating word for word the entire line of dialogue or what have you
heathcliff being approached by a wealthy slaveowner and then turning him down for moral reasons was weird on a couple of levels. heathcliff is smart and ruthless and independent - why can’t he have made his fortune doing something clever, like scamming this bitch, instead of fighting in underground rings and then happening to get lucky and being noticed by a rich man? why would he turn this offer down on moral grounds - how much does he even know about the slave trade? what does heathcliff care about blood money? how much does HE know abot the blood oiling whe cogs of the british empire? obviously it's the correct moral choice, but like...
and the other kids are like ‘don’t do it heathcliff…that rich white man is bad fucking news’ and heathcliff is like 'you don’t know me. I’ll get into his good graces then turn on him and steal everything he has. I’m THAT cold and vicious.’ and he is! in canon, at least. I like the undercurrent of 'you were treated like shit your entire life and its understandable that you’re so violent and angry but you deserve a second chance w friendship and compassion" but smt I love abt heathcliff IS his strength and his anger and his willingness to fight back against ppl who hurt him…
so yeah he goes to meet this almost comically evil orientalist slaveowner who’s like 'work for me…I shall make you rich’ and heathcliff is like. oh. as an overseer. hm I think that would actually completely rot my soul and when I go home to cathy I’ll be a truly bad person…so no I can’t do that actually. blood money is WRONG. I’m just a son of a lascar. farewell. LIKE. obviously I don’t want him to move to a plantation and become an overseer but this just doesn’t feel in line w heathcliff’s actual characterization. and this version completely hamstrung him! after this scene he was an entirely different character! he was like a wet cat or smt...this squeaky clean goody-two shoes is such a lame duck....I wanted to see HEATHCLIFF!!! and this book just dropped everything - his pride, his vindictiveness, his cold patience, his intelligence, his desire for vengeance. also 'think about it for as long as you want but I need an answer tonight'?? more cracks are showing I fear!
moments where he’s realizing what a vile man this rich guy truly is are rly well done emotionally but instead of leaning into that and making it about destroying the people who want to bring him down for his background, which would have been really fun and MADE SENSE, the author decides to do the most boring thing w it and have him just…turn down the offer and leave. because saying no was The Right Thing To Do 😇 goodbye to a more in-depth exploration of how people w Indian heritage interacted with and were impacted by orientalist british colonizers!!! goodbye to a more complex and interesting and accurate heathcliff!!! what a letdown!!!! god what if had just become a terrorist. I love terrorists. has anyone here read babel? ike I WANTED that viciousness, the vengefulness, that pride, that cold patience! I WANTED him to rain down the cruelty he experienced onto people who deserved it! I would have cheered the entire time! it's what he deserves! and all they did was...steal a fucking painting. cool. great. anyway
cathy’s section rly was 95% introspection and angst. and I liked cathy's half of the story better - literally half, the povs alternate exactly. she's been haunted by a ghost and said strange words her entire life and she's beginning to suspect it's the ghost of her Indian mother, which is very spooky and very cool and very well done atmospherically and really in-line with canon too! and now they’re talking about how cathy has been told to shave her dark facial and arm hair, and lighten her skin with chemicals in order to blend in with her white neighbors in high (ish) society. hm! and now they’re directly discussing the impact of british colonialism on india!
this version does paint a much more complex and imo interesting verison of hindley - a man of mixed race, born in india but raised in england by white parents, completely cut off from half his heritage, never to see his birth mother again, with the knowledge that if anyone knew the truth he’d lose everything, and subject to his self-loathing father’s drunken confessions of the crimes his company committed in the country of his birth throughout his early childhood. driven to drinking and gambling by grief and isolation, and hating and fearing heathcliff, there in their home, seeming to presenting a risk to them all - if people saw, and connected the dots, and started getting suspicious- well, they’d lose it all. it’s not that hindley’s hatred towards heathcliff in canon didn’t make sense, but this is definitely a unique spin on it that I thought was really interesting
**SPOILER ALERT**
but you also did say all that stuff abt him being brought low by hindley bc you're practical and you understand the world you live in so it also makes sense you want to be wealthy and safe and live with edgar and be a linton....honestly the crux of the plot conflict was very stupid bc she had to be wealthy to be free/safe so she couldn't marry heathcliff but THEY HAD THOSE TREASURES THE WHOLE TIME....ik they didn't want to use them bc of the suffering their dad caused but he's dead and they need money so like? cathy is very practical in canon...they ended up using it anyway so what was the entire point
well they just went into their dad’s super sceret locked trunk of jewels and silks from india and burned the clothes and buried the jewels to ‘put the ghosts to bed’ and I see what the author is trying to do by not having the protags benefit from the spoils of colonialism but their mother IS indian and they don’t have that much money, so there’s an argument to be made that that’s genuinely their stuff, stolen from THEIR people and they have an actual right to it...
the worst parts of this book are when heathcliff and cathy turn to the reader and start spouting bullshit about being Good People and What The True Meaning Of Friendship is. fuck offff with all that these aren't youth pastors in a book mean to deliver proper moral guidance this is supposed to be HEATHCLIFF and CATHY, the nastiest most self-centered most codependent most miserable scheming assholes on the moors! I miss them so bad omg...like what the fuck are you talking about cathy!!! since when did you care about being Good People!!! the book claims she has a cruel streak but I can barely ever see it. I miss my mean bitch cathy just as much as I miss that patient, ruthless, nasty heathcliff of canon. GOD. why did this book make them so BORING?
okay this section abt heathcliff thinking about his parents and beginning to remember them does have me a little choked up honestly. it's not that I don't want heathcliff to have internality or be vulnerable, or that I disliked him learning about his heritage or connecting with his people, I just wish he retained his hardness and he was still recognizable. the impact of a lifetime of abuse and mistreatment doesn't just melt away like that. and he's never cared THAT much about other people. here he has at several points been extremely angry on behalf of women being disrespected bc ppl assume they’re sex workers, which is BOLD characterization for a canonical domestic and child abuser. like he's 16 here so obviously not YET but I just think that's very generic YA good boy male love interest charachterization. not what I'm here for! and this is before he started waxing poetic about the meaning of friendship. I wish I was making this up. HEATHCLIFF???? this wholesome sanitized version is really going to kill me bc who the fuck is this kid.
the narrator always talked too fast and by the end was not ending sentences properly but I didn’t feel like sitting through more than I had to so I didn't slow anything down :/ like by the end I was walking in circles screaming internally because...yeah this is what a rewrite of wuthering heights needed: a rousing battle in the streets in which heathcliff can prove he really cares about his new group of friends. yeah emily brontë really missed an opportunity by not emphasizing the power of friendship enough 🙄 it was just so stupid
the romantic writing has been appealing on a surface level (flowery, full of emotion) but very…generic. the prose did some cool things early on and then became a lot of meaningless fluff. and ohhh they’re finally reunited and cathy’s crying and heathcliff’s gazing with all this masculine intent and that actually reminds me of smt else about the dynamic that keeps coming up and it’s very…conventional in its gender roles? cathy’s cried like three times and heathcliff’s been SO protective and made these promises to keep her from getting upset/hurt and it’s just…not really an interesting dynamic innit. even with the gender twistiness of cathy wearing heathcliff’s clothes and declaring she feels more herself than ever - interesting! - their dynamic should more be partners-in-crime-and-torment imo rather than ‘girl gets upset and cries and her strong boy friend protects and looks after her’. like. when’s SHE going to be mean and tough and rude and cruel and masc huh? when she pushed back against nelly that was fun. actually as much as heathcliff got butchered, I really liked nelly and hindley's characterization, and edgar's was pretty good. I thought it was really on point the entire time. the ocs were...fine. cathy was okay.
I did really enjoy the ghosts theme! very spooky, thematically appropriate, peppered in at perfect times, called back nicely to canon and fit into the new story very well, came around really well and heart-wrenchingly in the end. the finale scene was actually very nice, just too sweet for wuthering heights characters
which brings me to this entire 'remixed classics project - producing derivative and unoriginal YA novels that range from trash to tolerable to pretty fun. I wish Representation (quote unquote, but its rly being marketed as another perk of the story) didn’t come at the cost of nuanced stories and actually good writing but that appears to be the price we must pay for these series bc….idk, the publishers want ppl to treat classics like consumable content that can be tailored to better represent a demographic and not as literary pieces that reflect and engage with the context of their settings? because they want ppl to read these fanfics instead of classics that actually deal with race, gender identity and sexuality, and class in meaningful ways? I’d have more respect for original fiction that took inspo from the classics at this point. this was genuinely a wonderful and powerful story in a lot of ways, it just wasn’t wuthering heights….What Souls Are Made Of DID bring a lot of nuance and specificity to heathcliff’s character in terms of his background, and it did have a lot of things to say abt what it was like for poc living in 1870s-era england, and abt colorism, orientalism, and racism, that the og novel never got into. I think it just lost its way when it made heathcliff a nice boy who loves his friends and cathy a nice girl who wants to make the world a better place instead of leaning into the selfishness, anger, destructiveness, obsession, codependency, meanness, and fixation on revenge that the original characters exhibited. I loved that about them! I missed that about them marginalized teenagers - including fans of classics, deserve better than this bland, one-note, fanfic-esque writing.
in conclusion…I see the appeal of this type of book but I really wish they were better! individual execution relies entirely on the specific author, so I have no idea how good the remaining 'remixed' books are. working the actual original character traits and situations - which can include changing small details to suit the new story better, as this one did - leads to a more authentic and compelling narrative that says something than simply dumbing it down for a presumably intellectually incurious teenage audience. but teenagers read classics too! they can enjoy them! and they deserve a work representing them with more complexity and thought and nuance than this!
sigh. okay. mixed feelings on this one. it's honestly a perfectly decent, if generic and naive, YA novel, and I like how it examines racism and orientalism in pre regency-era england by exploring and expanding on heathcliff's canonical and often-ignored racial otherness, but like....it wasn't wuthering heights. heathcliff in this book literally turned into the soy boy beta cuck that canon cathy would have mocked for being a weak bitch. he’s such a fucking softboy. who WERE these kids by the end, and - crucially - who's the actual target audience for these remoxed books? classics enjoyers will find them lacking! YA fans looking for representation will probably enjoy them, but what’s the purpose of incorporating classics characters and plot so badly? a YA fan looking for rep who loves these classics will be likely frustrated by how they’ve been butchered, and a YA fan who doesn’t care for classics can read this as an original novel perfectly coherently without bringing in the prestige of the bronte title into it. it sounds like the publishers are just coasting off the coattails of a popular IP instead of doing the work to market an original story on ITS OWN MERITS….good lord....as a wuthering heights fan, I'm pissed off. as an enjoyer of diversity in historical works, I'm moved and excited by this story, but also disappointed with how simplistic it all turned out. as an occasional romance reader, I'm kind of bored.
the writing overall is fairly appealing and well done - the tone and style of the original is initially impressively copied, the atmosphere and structure are very nicely set up, and it’s well paced despite much of the story being introspection. lots of passion and intensity in the prose. and told with a lot of emotion. I especially enjoy the writing for nelly - I think the author just nailed her vibe.
I listened to the audiobook version - the narrators sound great - really young, like teenagers. they have specifically northern accents! really cool detail
I enjoyed how suri developed cathy and heathcliff’s relationship/intimacy purely via flashback and introspection. it got a little on the nose sometimes and the talk about souls was a little heavyhanded, but overall I liked it. and the nods to canon were really fun - like cathy talking about the tree branches near her window sounding like hands tapping on the glass, or reminiscing about when she wrote her name a bunch of times in her dad’s sermon book. and when she’s like ‘ugh they think if I experience too many powerful emotions I’m going to DIE. men don’t have to worry about this! fml’ that was really funny commentary on canon bc she really did die of female hysteria didn’t she 😭
despite some cracks early on, I was really liking this as a ~transformative~ work. fanfic? is it fanfic? I mean, I used to read tons of fanfic, most of it just isn't published. but this was pretty good - it expanded on characterization, filled in gaps in the timeline in fun ways, engaged with heathcliff and cathy’s heritage in meaningful and powerful ways, and - something I always like - summarizes memorable scenes and monologues in the original work by describing character emotions and thought processes in exciting ways rather than just repeating word for word the entire line of dialogue or what have you
heathcliff being approached by a wealthy slaveowner and then turning him down for moral reasons was weird on a couple of levels. heathcliff is smart and ruthless and independent - why can’t he have made his fortune doing something clever, like scamming this bitch, instead of fighting in underground rings and then happening to get lucky and being noticed by a rich man? why would he turn this offer down on moral grounds - how much does he even know about the slave trade? what does heathcliff care about blood money? how much does HE know abot the blood oiling whe cogs of the british empire? obviously it's the correct moral choice, but like...
and the other kids are like ‘don’t do it heathcliff…that rich white man is bad fucking news’ and heathcliff is like 'you don’t know me. I’ll get into his good graces then turn on him and steal everything he has. I’m THAT cold and vicious.’ and he is! in canon, at least. I like the undercurrent of 'you were treated like shit your entire life and its understandable that you’re so violent and angry but you deserve a second chance w friendship and compassion" but smt I love abt heathcliff IS his strength and his anger and his willingness to fight back against ppl who hurt him…
so yeah he goes to meet this almost comically evil orientalist slaveowner who’s like 'work for me…I shall make you rich’ and heathcliff is like. oh. as an overseer. hm I think that would actually completely rot my soul and when I go home to cathy I’ll be a truly bad person…so no I can’t do that actually. blood money is WRONG. I’m just a son of a lascar. farewell. LIKE. obviously I don’t want him to move to a plantation and become an overseer but this just doesn’t feel in line w heathcliff’s actual characterization. and this version completely hamstrung him! after this scene he was an entirely different character! he was like a wet cat or smt...this squeaky clean goody-two shoes is such a lame duck....I wanted to see HEATHCLIFF!!! and this book just dropped everything - his pride, his vindictiveness, his cold patience, his intelligence, his desire for vengeance. also 'think about it for as long as you want but I need an answer tonight'?? more cracks are showing I fear!
moments where he’s realizing what a vile man this rich guy truly is are rly well done emotionally but instead of leaning into that and making it about destroying the people who want to bring him down for his background, which would have been really fun and MADE SENSE, the author decides to do the most boring thing w it and have him just…turn down the offer and leave. because saying no was The Right Thing To Do 😇 goodbye to a more in-depth exploration of how people w Indian heritage interacted with and were impacted by orientalist british colonizers!!! goodbye to a more complex and interesting and accurate heathcliff!!! what a letdown!!!! god what if had just become a terrorist. I love terrorists. has anyone here read babel? ike I WANTED that viciousness, the vengefulness, that pride, that cold patience! I WANTED him to rain down the cruelty he experienced onto people who deserved it! I would have cheered the entire time! it's what he deserves! and all they did was...steal a fucking painting. cool. great. anyway
cathy’s section rly was 95% introspection and angst. and I liked cathy's half of the story better - literally half, the povs alternate exactly. she's been haunted by a ghost and said strange words her entire life and she's beginning to suspect it's the ghost of her Indian mother, which is very spooky and very cool and very well done atmospherically and really in-line with canon too! and now they’re talking about how cathy has been told to shave her dark facial and arm hair, and lighten her skin with chemicals in order to blend in with her white neighbors in high (ish) society. hm! and now they’re directly discussing the impact of british colonialism on india!
this version does paint a much more complex and imo interesting verison of hindley - a man of mixed race, born in india but raised in england by white parents, completely cut off from half his heritage, never to see his birth mother again, with the knowledge that if anyone knew the truth he’d lose everything, and subject to his self-loathing father’s drunken confessions of the crimes his company committed in the country of his birth throughout his early childhood. driven to drinking and gambling by grief and isolation, and hating and fearing heathcliff, there in their home, seeming to presenting a risk to them all - if people saw, and connected the dots, and started getting suspicious- well, they’d lose it all. it’s not that hindley’s hatred towards heathcliff in canon didn’t make sense, but this is definitely a unique spin on it that I thought was really interesting
**SPOILER ALERT**
but you also did say all that stuff abt him being brought low by hindley bc you're practical and you understand the world you live in so it also makes sense you want to be wealthy and safe and live with edgar and be a linton....honestly the crux of the plot conflict was very stupid bc she had to be wealthy to be free/safe so she couldn't marry heathcliff but THEY HAD THOSE TREASURES THE WHOLE TIME....ik they didn't want to use them bc of the suffering their dad caused but he's dead and they need money so like? cathy is very practical in canon...they ended up using it anyway so what was the entire point
well they just went into their dad’s super sceret locked trunk of jewels and silks from india and burned the clothes and buried the jewels to ‘put the ghosts to bed’ and I see what the author is trying to do by not having the protags benefit from the spoils of colonialism but their mother IS indian and they don’t have that much money, so there’s an argument to be made that that’s genuinely their stuff, stolen from THEIR people and they have an actual right to it...
the worst parts of this book are when heathcliff and cathy turn to the reader and start spouting bullshit about being Good People and What The True Meaning Of Friendship is. fuck offff with all that these aren't youth pastors in a book mean to deliver proper moral guidance this is supposed to be HEATHCLIFF and CATHY, the nastiest most self-centered most codependent most miserable scheming assholes on the moors! I miss them so bad omg...like what the fuck are you talking about cathy!!! since when did you care about being Good People!!! the book claims she has a cruel streak but I can barely ever see it. I miss my mean bitch cathy just as much as I miss that patient, ruthless, nasty heathcliff of canon. GOD. why did this book make them so BORING?
okay this section abt heathcliff thinking about his parents and beginning to remember them does have me a little choked up honestly. it's not that I don't want heathcliff to have internality or be vulnerable, or that I disliked him learning about his heritage or connecting with his people, I just wish he retained his hardness and he was still recognizable. the impact of a lifetime of abuse and mistreatment doesn't just melt away like that. and he's never cared THAT much about other people. here he has at several points been extremely angry on behalf of women being disrespected bc ppl assume they’re sex workers, which is BOLD characterization for a canonical domestic and child abuser. like he's 16 here so obviously not YET but I just think that's very generic YA good boy male love interest charachterization. not what I'm here for! and this is before he started waxing poetic about the meaning of friendship. I wish I was making this up. HEATHCLIFF???? this wholesome sanitized version is really going to kill me bc who the fuck is this kid.
the narrator always talked too fast and by the end was not ending sentences properly but I didn’t feel like sitting through more than I had to so I didn't slow anything down :/ like by the end I was walking in circles screaming internally because...yeah this is what a rewrite of wuthering heights needed: a rousing battle in the streets in which heathcliff can prove he really cares about his new group of friends. yeah emily brontë really missed an opportunity by not emphasizing the power of friendship enough 🙄 it was just so stupid
the romantic writing has been appealing on a surface level (flowery, full of emotion) but very…generic. the prose did some cool things early on and then became a lot of meaningless fluff. and ohhh they’re finally reunited and cathy’s crying and heathcliff’s gazing with all this masculine intent and that actually reminds me of smt else about the dynamic that keeps coming up and it’s very…conventional in its gender roles? cathy’s cried like three times and heathcliff’s been SO protective and made these promises to keep her from getting upset/hurt and it’s just…not really an interesting dynamic innit. even with the gender twistiness of cathy wearing heathcliff’s clothes and declaring she feels more herself than ever - interesting! - their dynamic should more be partners-in-crime-and-torment imo rather than ‘girl gets upset and cries and her strong boy friend protects and looks after her’. like. when’s SHE going to be mean and tough and rude and cruel and masc huh? when she pushed back against nelly that was fun. actually as much as heathcliff got butchered, I really liked nelly and hindley's characterization, and edgar's was pretty good. I thought it was really on point the entire time. the ocs were...fine. cathy was okay.
I did really enjoy the ghosts theme! very spooky, thematically appropriate, peppered in at perfect times, called back nicely to canon and fit into the new story very well, came around really well and heart-wrenchingly in the end. the finale scene was actually very nice, just too sweet for wuthering heights characters
which brings me to this entire 'remixed classics project - producing derivative and unoriginal YA novels that range from trash to tolerable to pretty fun. I wish Representation (quote unquote, but its rly being marketed as another perk of the story) didn’t come at the cost of nuanced stories and actually good writing but that appears to be the price we must pay for these series bc….idk, the publishers want ppl to treat classics like consumable content that can be tailored to better represent a demographic and not as literary pieces that reflect and engage with the context of their settings? because they want ppl to read these fanfics instead of classics that actually deal with race, gender identity and sexuality, and class in meaningful ways? I’d have more respect for original fiction that took inspo from the classics at this point. this was genuinely a wonderful and powerful story in a lot of ways, it just wasn’t wuthering heights….What Souls Are Made Of DID bring a lot of nuance and specificity to heathcliff’s character in terms of his background, and it did have a lot of things to say abt what it was like for poc living in 1870s-era england, and abt colorism, orientalism, and racism, that the og novel never got into. I think it just lost its way when it made heathcliff a nice boy who loves his friends and cathy a nice girl who wants to make the world a better place instead of leaning into the selfishness, anger, destructiveness, obsession, codependency, meanness, and fixation on revenge that the original characters exhibited. I loved that about them! I missed that about them marginalized teenagers - including fans of classics, deserve better than this bland, one-note, fanfic-esque writing.
in conclusion…I see the appeal of this type of book but I really wish they were better! individual execution relies entirely on the specific author, so I have no idea how good the remaining 'remixed' books are. working the actual original character traits and situations - which can include changing small details to suit the new story better, as this one did - leads to a more authentic and compelling narrative that says something than simply dumbing it down for a presumably intellectually incurious teenage audience. but teenagers read classics too! they can enjoy them! and they deserve a work representing them with more complexity and thought and nuance than this!
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