From costume designs to casting choices, Emerald Fennel’s latest movie “Wuthering Heights,” has left a trail of controversy. However, behind the controversy is a novel about so much more than what the trailers and the movie let on. Despite Fennel’s movie advertising “Wuthering Heights” as “the greatest love story,” it is anything but.

Written by Emily Bronte in 1847, “Wuthering Heights” follows the tumultuous and drama-ridden lives of its characters on the desolate Yorkshire moors. From cold-hearted revenge to supernatural hauntings, readers are dragged into years of generational tensions between the Earnshaws and the wealthy Lintons.

Despite the immersive world of “Wuthering Heights,” the language of the mid-1800s, the vast array of characters and changes in narration may make the story difficult to follow. However, the language is also one full of emotion. From its vivid imagery to its intense passionate monologues, Bronte’s writing is a testament to her ability to portray human likeness in her characters.

The characters themselves are also a huge feat of Bronte’s. The novel is one of the few books during its time to feature a person of color running the story. Bronte’s depiction of women is also something that is commendable–  there are complex and nuanced female characters, just the same as their male counterparts.

Yet, many may argue that the characters themselves are the worst part of the novel. Many say the characters are selfish, abusive, vengeful and vindictive; rude or outright annoying. From murderous revenge, possessive, self-destructive love, classism and racism, their list of horrible deeds and misgivings are seemingly infinite and beyond intolerable. It is true the characters of “Wuthering Heights” are deeply flawed, almost to the point of no redemption, and for some never being redeemed. And for that, the story is so innately human.