Mrs Wilson’s Book of the Month

It is clear Mrs Wilson has a love of reading that goes beyond educational necessity, to ‘suspend disbelief and the pressure of life’ she describes books as a productive and fruitful way of spending her private time. The quiet that comes with a good book being a platform to think, reflect and step into and become consumed by a whole new world. Emphasising the importance of literature, she expressed her agitation without it, and was thankful for her English teacher who ‘brought literature alive’ and introduced her to her favourite book Wuthering Heights.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is a doomed love story challenging the strict Victorian ideals of 1847, arguably one of the best pieces of classical English literature. Mrs Wilson’s ‘love for the language of Brontë’ and the ‘power of the imagery’ in the novel captivated the then 16 years old Wilson’s love for literature. Although not keen on the structure of the work, she described the imagery as vivid, Brontë’s description of the windswept moors resonating with Mrs Wilson having come from Yorkshire herself.

Mrs Wilson describes the character Linton as ‘lighter and less complex’ than the ‘tormented’ Heathcliff. Having memorised her favourite passage, she recited it with clear passion ‘my love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight but necessary.’

Wuthering Heights is her favourite book because it resonates and is a recollection of her youth; it brings pleasure in learning and understanding; it is a ‘great read’, a form of escapism into the imagination of Brontë herself. Mrs Wilson truly believes in the importance of reading and the excitement that comes with a new book.