Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - A Review

 

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Some books are so rich with atmosphere that you can almost begin to feel like you're in the story along with the characters. That's what "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier felt like to me. From the first page, I was captivated and drawn in by the haunting descriptions of Manderley. It was the perfect setting for the gothic story that was to come. It had secrets, suspense, and a woman who seemed to be on the verge. 

The story follows an unnamed young woman of "lower status", who falls in love with and marries the recently widowed Maxim de Winter, a wealthy older man. After their honeymoon they return to his estate, Manderley, and the new Mrs. de Winter quickly realizes that she is living in the shadow of Maxim's late wife, Rebecca. There are echoes of Rebecca all throughout the estate, and she is kept particularly alive by housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, whose devotion to her former mistress is downright chilling. Will Rebecca and the secrets of Manderley be the new Mrs. de Winter's undoing? 

This was a story that could have easily fallen into a trap of cliché and predictability, but du Maurier's masterful writing kept it safe from such pitfalls. Everything felt carefully crafted and was rich in detail. The tension in the book builds page after page, and the twists keep you guessing over and over again about what's really going on at Manderley. The characters she developed were real and raw and flawed. I found myself equally enamored with and horrified by them.

My one beef with the novel is that I didn't really love the ending. It wasn't bad, necessarily. It just seemed to fall flat for me. I guess it didn't match up with my expectations that were building up throughout the book. It certainly was a fitting ending for the characters, I only wish there could have been more of it.    

Overall, I absolutely loved "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier. It's beautiful and haunting and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoy gothic fiction with real psychological depth. It will linger in your mind long after you've finished the last page, which to me is the true mark of a great book.