Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo and Juliet Remix by Caleb Roehrig is part of an exciting series of books entitled Remixed Classics released by Macmillan Publishers.  The goal of the series is to have authors from diverse backgrounds take on literary classics and reinvent them through their unique cultural lenses.  Written for YA readers, this is wonderful way to both introduce younger readers to the classics, while demonstrating the need to question and analyze which voices have long been absent from the literary canon. 

Teach the Torches to Burn will not be a pick for strict traditionalists…but those who love a new take on an old tale or perhaps teenagers struggling to connect with Shakespeare in high school English will enjoy this creative new read.  Be forewarned though, it’s definitely not the Cole’s Notes version! This is not a summation of the original story told for YA ears, it is a completely new narrative using elements of Shakespeare’s play including the main characters.  The real game changer, however, comes in the character of Valentine, who is Romeo’s male love interest.  Valentine is briefly mentioned as Mercutio’s brother in the play but here he takes on a much bigger role. 

Caleb Roehrig is a queer author who has been writing YA books for several years now, including A Werewolf in Riverdale: An Original Archie Horror Novel, so he is not new to reinventing the stories of famous literary teens.  What teen won’t connect with Romeo, who feels the uncertainty of figuring out who he is and what he wants to do with his life?  Pressure from his family comes in the form of choosing to either follow in his father’s footsteps as a successful silk merchant or join the prince’s army; neither of which appeals to the artistic and creative Romeo.  Equally unappetizing is the thought of being forced to marry the woman of his parents’ choosing, especially as he is just discovering his feelings towards Valentine.   

Teen angst, romantic dramas and tempers escalating into fights, this could all be presented in a contemporary setting, but Roehrig roots the tale firmly in Italy of the 1300s. He does an incredible job filling in the specifics of both setting and characters so that the reader can easily envision Romeo walking the streets of medieval Verona.  In his Author’s Notes, Roehrig writes of the amount of research that he put into to getting all the timely details correct and it certainly makes for a lush portrayal.  

Given that Roehrig is working with the novel format, and not a play as Shakespeare was, he also has much more time to flesh out the characters.  Mercurtio, Benvolio and even the likes of Juliet have many more complexities here.  When I first read the synopsis of the book, I had assumed that Valentine would take the place of Juliet…how wrong I was!  She becomes one of the most engaging characters in this story and is portrayed as a riveting example of female empowerment.   

I breezed through this novel as I couldn’t wait to see what Roehrig was going to do with these beloved characters, and it did not disappoint.  This was my first go at a Remixed Classic and now I’m super excited to read more.  Next up on my book list is Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix by celebrated Métis writer Cherie Dimaline.  Moving the setting from England to Georgian Bay, this story puts female and queer characters front and center along with addressing racism and anti-colonialism.  Sounds like another intriguing reinvention of an old tale! 

Image source: http://calebroehrig.com/?page_id=11