Rebecca

Rebecca / Daphne DuMaurier

New York: Doubleday, c1938.

357 p.

I couldn't find the cover image for the old bookclub edition of this which I read, but this one is the closest to it. Besides, I think it highlights one of the key points of the book; the fact that the narrator is an outsider, always looking in at Manderley.

Given my predilection for gothic romance suspense novels, it's hard to believe that it has taken me until now to actually read Rebecca, the classic in the field. But, it was worth getting to it and it's clear why it holds classic status.

The first line is so famous that most people have probably heard it: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." And that one sentence draws the reader in, to a tale of a young innocent girl rescued from a life of drudgery as a rich woman's companion by the first man she falls madly in love with -- the much older, sophisticated Max de Winter. (I mean, even that name!)

The unnamed narrator, Max's second wife, feels constantly overshadowed by the legacy of his dead wife Rebecca. She is clumsy, uncertain, gauche, and painfully awkward. It's only by going through the emotional harrowing of the events of this story that she grows up and is able to act as a woman of the class she's married into (a key indicator: she finds that she is finally able to order the servants about).

The storyline is pretty basic, but still holds twists and turns and plenty of chills. After all this time I still didn't know the truth of the situation so it was a surprise when I turned the page to find out...well, I won't say, so that if anyone else hasn't read it they might still be surprised as well. DuMaurier is a marvellous writer, with descriptions of the landscape and of each individual reflecting the development of the story as well as drawing pretty clear characters in just a few lines. I now understand why Mrs. Danvers is such a terrifying creature! And it contains a key element found in many of these stories, the looming presence of a house. I love all these houses -- Manderley, Thornfield Hall, Hill House, Misslethwaite Manor, and all those unnamed houses in books like The Woman in White. The houses in these stories are as much a part of the atmosphere as the human situation.

I really enjoyed this read and think most readers of this kind of book would love it. There is a certain adjustment to be made to the style, as it is more expository and lengthy than many modern tales but it's so worth it. There are some fabulous quotable bits and enough drama to sustain a reader through a long evening. Well recommended.