Salt & Broom is a 2023 fantasy novel by Sharon Lynn Fisher. The novel is a witchy retelling of Jane Eyre. It was published by 47North and released in December of 2023.
"Salt and broom, make this room safe and tight, against the night." Trunks packed with potions and cures, Jane Aire sets out on a crisp, clear morning in October to face the greatest challenge of her sheltered girls'-school existence. A shadow lies over Thornfield Hall and its reclusive master, Edward Rochester. And he's hired her only as a last resort. Jane stumbles again and again as she tries to establish a rapport with her prickly new employer, but he becomes the least of her worries as a mysterious force seems to work against her. The threats mount around both Jane and Rochester—who's becoming more intriguing and appealing to her by the day. Jane begins to fear her herb healing and protective charms may not be enough to save the man she's growing to love from a threat darker and more dangerous than either of them imagined.
Since this novel is a Jane Eyre retelling, the plot follows the plot of that novel fairly closely, at least in terms of the overall structure of the story. This both works in the novel's favor, and against it. The plot beats don't echo the original work one-for-one, but they fall along the same vein. The inclusion of magic and witchcraft changes the stakes of the story and creates a different kind of climax and resolution. Instead of the typical stakes of Jane losing Rochester as a husband, there is a magical threat that must be defeated. The climax is more exciting and tense than the original Jane Eyre's climax, but the overall story is not. The author couldn't, or perhaps didn't want to, deviate too much from the original story, so the magical element could only do so much to alter the story. The plot of this novel relies on a certain degree of familiarity with Bronte's work, compared with other retellings I've read. To put it simply, this novel is a good Jane Eyre retelling, with a magical twist, but not particularly engaging as a fantasy story on its own.
The characters in this novel don't stand out to me. Jane Aire and Edward Rochester, as written by this author, feel in sync with the Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester that Charlotte Bronte brought to life more than a century ago. There are some slight adjustments to their characters, to make them fit into this world, but they stick pretty closely with their previous characterizations. Since they are such well-known characters, I was hoping this novel would do something to make them feel unique, to make them stand out as I was reading, but that didn't happen here.
The magical aspect of the novel was subtle, which worked in its favor. Since the setting is mid-1800s, it makes sense for magic and witchcraft to be something not openly discussed, but not entirely taboo in the world. The subtle nature of the magic, and centering it mostly in terms of herbal remedies and such, fall in line with the way society functioned at the time. At the same time, the magic system created a new, compelling and unique main conflict for the story. I knew the story of Jane Eyre, but the inclusion of magic meant I couldn't always be sure how this story would go, or how magic would factor into the resolution.
Salt & Broom was an entertaining and engaging book. It took a familiar story and added a twist to keep it feeling fresh. Unfortunately, some of its weaknesses comes from the fact that it is a Jane Eyre retelling, as it prevents the story from taking too many chances or for the characters to feel unique. The magical additions to the plot were compelling for the most part without becoming delving too deeply into fantasy. It's a nice read and something I'd recommend to readers who know they like historical fiction, and want to give fantasy or magical realism a try.
Rating: 4 Stars
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