Heathcliff – the missing years

It is funny how this topic crops up in every discussion of our Classics Book Club talks on Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. In Wuthering Heights Heathcliff disappears for a time and upon his return is dressed as quite the gentleman, knows how to gamble and is still obsessed with Cathy. So where did he go? What happened to him? Theories abound and range from a trip to the West Indies, an excursion to Australia to search for gold, certainly ill-gotten gains, maybe he fell in with a band of gypsies – a reference to his mysterious past perhaps, or he stole away on a ship for sure! In a few minutes each of the discussion groups came up with several ideas but wait for it… there is a book called Heathcliff: The Return to Wuthering Heights by Lin Haire-Sargeant and Emily Bronte. Let us know what you think? Is it a good story? Believable? Or do you prefer the Classics not be tampered with and Heathcliff's past left to our own imaginations. Pictured is Timothy Dalton as Healthcliff from the 1970 movie Wuthering Heights(Image: AIP Ronald Grant Archive).