Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4/5)

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again…”

And so the famous modern gothic romance that is Rebecca begins. The heroine, a narrator who remains unnamed through the story, works as a paid companion to a busybody old lady. On their trip to the south of France she encounters Maxin de Winter, a handsome but distant widower. Caught up in a whirlwind romance she finds herself free from her job and now the mistress of the grand estate of Manderley, an isolated estate in Cornwall that is as beautiful as it is mysterious. As she settles into her new role, she begins to realize how little she knows of her husband and his first wife’s impact. Rebecca is everywhere, her beauty an ever-constant shadow, like a phantom haunting her.

Is love enough to cast away the shadows that hang over them or will the memory of Rebecca consume them both?

~ excerpt written by yours truly (this took longer to write than the review)

This review doesn’t contain spoilers, but you can find the one that does on my goodreads.

I went into this book with the impression that Rebecca was a modern gothic romance compared to Jane Eyre. I read Jane Eyre back in high school and disliked it with a passion. While I did enjoy Rebecca for the writing and depth of the story, it pulls you in in a way that classics are often to do, there were several issues I had with it that kept this from becoming a favourite of mine.

Characters

• There was so much depth to the main narrator and while she remained unnamed throughout the story, her voice was the strongest. There were many pages spent within her thoughts, but I never found it tiresome like in other books. Being unnamed added to Rebecca’s influence. The heroine’s development from a timid young bride to one able to throw off the shadow of Rebecca was satisfying to read. (Though “He loves me” would not have been my reaction to Maxim’s confession.
• Maxime was, to say the least, a very interesting character. I’m not a fan of the archetype of the fatherly figure who turns into the love interest (ff I remember correctly this was in Jane Eyre as well). When he told the heroine “I’m old enough to be your father” and then went and married her a few chapters later I felt sick. Perhaps it’s more of a personal issue though, I don’t react well to the age gap trope in general.
• Mrs. Danvers was an interesting character as well. I got the feeling that there was more to her and Rebecca’s relationship than what was on the page. While reading the book I read a few literary articles on it and there’s so many intricate themes that are analyzed within the story both subtle and hidden.

Plot

• The major plot twist shocked me so much and the following events were what made the book 4 stars instead of 5. Other than the moral implications of Maxim’s actions there were so many other issues I had with it that I good write an entire literary analysis on just that. Let’s leave it at gothic romance not being my genre.
• I’ve heard that the plot can be considered slow for the first 1/2 of the book however it didn’t feel slow to me because I was so thoroughly immersed in the story.

Writing

• The writing was absolutely beautiful and so atmospheric. I listened to the audiobook while getting ready for a craft fair and it transported me into the story. The narrator was perfect and brought the heroine to life.

Even though there were a few things I didn’t care for I would definitely recommend this book because of the writing and characters. The numerous themes pose questions that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

~ Ming