“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…”
“Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier – a timeless classic, Gothic mystery and somewhat horror!
A young girl, with not much exposure to finesse and fineries of the gentry, falls in love with a widower, a Mr. de Winter of Manderley. She lands at the grand house (Manderley) as an awkward, anxious, overthinking new bride, trying to please everyone (even the servants) in a house where secrets and mysteries of living and the dead confront her, rattle her confidence all the more. In this engaging and interesting book, author does a great job of crafting little and big secrets, and mysteries; some solved over time, some left to their own cryptic being and some becoming more complicated than before.
While the storyline in crafted cleverly, it does not in my opinion present with huge surprises or twists (I found that in my first time reading it as well – there are many books that can surprise you much more), but what wins the book and makes it all the more engaging and interesting is the characters and the atmosphere.
The story mainly revolves around three women: one diabolical, one gauche and one deceased, almost always in constant presence of each other. The characters are skillfully created and become more complex as story furthers; some opening up to the readers and some becoming more enigmatic, till the story ends with conundrum of its own! Supporting characters were well-developed and their relationships with the main cast quite well-established and contribute to the questions reader wonder about in the end.
The atmosphere of the book is the other strong element of the reading experience. There is this constant ominous effect that has a “bugging” and waiting quality, for example, the narrator is never named, there are unexplained relationships, tactfully left out facts and an ending with merely any details, wide open for imagination!
A little bit about the unnamed narrator: she has always been my favorite character in the book or the versions of movies I have seen so far. Daphne’s portrayal of her persona (a low self-esteemed girl, second guessing herself every minute and easily intimidated) to a woman who stands taller and stronger in the end is a beautiful transformation through the course of the book. Although many suggest the theme of the book is love, jealousy – for me a finer message also was the element of growing up (not coming of age) but maturing as a person. This quotes just sums up the feeling: “I believe there is a theory that men and women emerge finer and stronger after suffering, and that to advance in this or any world we must endure ordeal by fire.” I love books of women who become stronger when stirred by life (Lady Edith from Downton Abbey comes to my mind).
In conclusion, an amazing book that gave me the same pleasure I derived from it last time when I read it years ago. Du Maurier’s ability to blend suspense, intricate characters, and atmospheric tension makes “Rebecca” a timeless and engaging literary experience. If mystery is among your favorite genre, and you have not read Rebecca before, this might be a good one to put on to-read list.
Fun Facts: Rebecca has been a popular novel since its publication in 1938. It has been (per IMBD) adapted 15 times for screen. The first movie adaptation was Alfred Hitchcock’s first project when he moved to the US for filmmaking. The latest dramatization streaming on Netflix casts Lily James as the heroine who does an incredible job of justifying her role. Many plays have been adapted based on the book. Daphne du Maurier is a refined writer and provides readers with indulgence that a novel should offer. The book maybe loosely inspired by Jane Eyre but it takes a good writing to transfer similar story into a fun read and that is where I believe Ms. Dumier is pretty good at.
Daphne’s other books that were adapted for movies by Alfred Hitchcock include Jamaica Inn, 1939 (which they both disavowed) and The Birds, 1963
Other books that were adapted for movies include Frenchman’s Creek, Hungry Hill, and My Cousin Rachel.
Some quotes that I liked ~
“People very often were wrong about their relatives”
I had to teach myself that all this was mine now, mine as much as his, the deep chair I was sitting in, that mass of books stretching to the ceiling, the pictures on the walls, the gardens, the woods, the Manderley I had read about, all of this was mine now because I was married to Maxim.
“I could fight with the living but I could not fight the dead."
"An empty house can be as lonely as a full hotel."
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[…] time. My preference for Regency-era shows has mainly been the artfully produced classics like Emma, Rebecca, and Great Expectations—unless Julian Fellowes is behind a period production (Downton Abbey […]