Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

Rating: 5

Read for: tl;dr challenge, RIP III challenge

Well, what can I say! How have I not read Rebecca until now? I saw the film (Laurence Olivier..enough said!) many years ago, but my memories of it are foggy, so I tried to approach reading Rebecca as fresh and clear-minded as I could.

The main character in Rebecca is not the titular character, but the second Mrs de Winter, who is never named though the novel is narrated in the first person. We meet her as a young woman in Monte Carlo, a companion to a brash and rich American woman, Mrs Van Hopper. It is our protagonist's distaste for her American companion that pushes her towards a burgeoning companionship with Maxim de Winter, a reserved and mysteriously aloof widower staying at the same hotel. The feelings in this relationship are clearly weighted towards the narrator, who adores Maxim, but who is inexperienced and young at half his age. When Mrs Van Hopper announces her decision to leave Monte Carlo, our young narrator is distraught at the thought of leaving Maxim de Winter, who upon hearing of their departure, surprises her by proposing to marry her. Although fearful of his reasons, the narrator accepts, and after the wedding and honeymoon, travels back with him to the family estate in Cornwall, the infamous Manderlay.

Painfully shy, Mrs de Winter is clearly overawed by the prospect of living at Manderlay. She fears not only the estate, but the prospect of living in the shadow of Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, who drowned tragically at sea less than a year earlier. Upon their arrival at Manderlay, Mrs de Winter meets the formidable housekeeper, Mrs Danvers, a severe woman devoted to the memory of Rebecca. Although desperately in love with her new home and her somewhat distant husband, Mrs de Winter does not feel comfortable, constantly faced with the presence of the beautiful Rebecca, apparently loved by all that knew her. Over time, it becomes quite apparent that neither Maxim nor Rebecca are quite what they seem.

Rebecca is a gothic romantic mystery, but it is also an ode to Manderlay, a beautiful and grand estate that clearly represents one or both of Daphne Du Maurier's homes in Cornwall. The story has echoes of Jane Eyre, another gothic novel set in a large mysterious house with a brooding male character. What I loved most about Rebecca is the language, Du Maurier's innate ability to write beautifully yet in a way that does not age nor seem dated, and the tension, the suspense. This book has a lot of tension. It is slow, subtle, building from the first page, yet occasionally punching you in the gut, even when you think you know what's coming. Every character has an air of the tragic, yet never in a farcical or ridiculous way. I even found myself pitying Mrs Danvers, hopelessly clinging to the memory of the woman she adored, angered and distraught by the presence of the second wife, and the events that follow.

Rebecca herself is an enigma. Right from the beginning the reader believes that they understand her, this beautiful, sophisticated, elegant and charming creature that enchants all around her. And that is exactly what she is, and so much more. I truly felt for the young Mrs de Winter and her struggle to overcome this woman's shadow, to be loved as Rebecca once was. I empathised with her social awkwardness, naivety and timidity, her need to be loved. And yet I was frustrated by her feebleness, her inactivity and her painfully shy demeanour, though it is very apparent that this is why Maxim chose to marry her.

The ending may not surprise some. I enjoyed it throughly in spite of having previously seen the film, which differs a great deal. I had never expected to love Du Maurier's work as much as I did, taking my time and savouring every word. I shall certainly be watching the film again, and reading more of her work, having already had Frenchman's Creek as a recommendation from a friend...I welcome other suggestions! Wholeheartedly recommended, Rebecca is a sheer joy to read.

Other blog reviews:
Things Mean A Lot
Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

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