This book seems to be one of the few classic novels where the main characters, who love each other, are separated not by parents, envious rivals, or natural disasters, but by their own flaws.

The narrator, Mr. Lockwood, arrives at Wuthering Heights – a remote, unwelcoming farmhouse on the moorlands of West Yorkshire. There, he encounters Heathcliff, a rude and violent man, along with his unfriendly servants and a mysteriously silent young woman.

While spending a night in this hostile place, Mr. Lockwood finds mysterious notes and sees a crying ghost outside his window. Later, a maid recounts the incredibly dark and sad story of the inhabitants of this eerie home.

Heathcliff and Catherine, his adoptive sister, loved each other passionately since childhood. Their connection went beyond love; it was an obsession, a union of wuthering storms. They were ready to sacrifice everything for their love, believing nothing could separate them.

But everything changed as they grew older. Catherine longed for honor, admiration, and social recognition – and she chose ambition over love, marrying a true gentleman instead of the poor, dark-faced country bumpkin, Heathcliff.

Heathcliff also chose himself – a selfish pursuit of revenge and self-pity. Rather than disappearing from Catherine’s life, he preferred to torment her. In his quest for vengeance, he destroyed the lives of many innocent people.

Yet, “treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends – they wound those who resort to them worse than their enemies.” Heathcliff suffers the most from his revenge, unable to know the sweetness of forgiveness, repentance, or true love.

Wuthering Heights is a dark, haunting tale about how selfish passions – pride, dominance, revenge – can never bring happiness. Happiness belongs only to those who have managed to overcome egoism and vanity, to see the best in others.

More reviews by me on instagram: @penguinna_books