Which of the following statements is not true about Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea?

The correct option is: Action of the novel takes place in South Africa.

Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea is a renowned postcolonial and feminist response to Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel, Jane Eyre. The setting of the novel is central to its themes of imperialism, displacement, and cultural alienation. The action of the novel takes place in the Caribbean—principally in Jamaica and Dominica—and later transitions to England. At no point does the plot occur in South Africa, making this statement incorrect and thus the correct choice for this question.

To understand why the other statements are true:
• Publication year: The novel was indeed first published in 1966, representing a major literary comeback for Jean Rhys.
• Connection to Jane Eyre: The novel directly takes its theme and central character from Charlotte Brontë’s work, focusing on the backstory of Antoinette Cosway (known in Jane Eyre as Bertha Mason, the "madwoman in the attic").
• Antoinette's mother: Antoinette’s mother is named Annette, a young Creole widow whose struggles and eventual mental breakdown heavily parallel and foreshadow Antoinette's own tragic trajectory.