It All Began with Jane Eyre, or, The Secret Life of Franny Dillman

by Sheila Greenwald

She’s reading again, Howard. It’s an affliction. She doesn’t just read. She hurtles herself into books and glues herself to the pages.

Franny Dillman loves to read. She is particularly fond of Jane Eyre. Unfortunately, Franny loves that novel so much that she started seeing Brontë’s scenarios where they weren’t—her life.

So, Franny’s mother decides to purchase some contemporary young adult novel s for Franny, hoping to shake Franny into the real world. Instead of reading about a governess and a madwoman in the attic, Franny becomes absorbed by tales of teen pregnancy and kids of divorce.

As you might guess, the plan backfires, and Franny soon thinks that she has found herself in an angst-y teen novel of her own. Of course, hilarity ensues.

This is kind of cute and kind of weird. Franny’s imagination is a little too wild for me.

10/9/13