lou's library

I have a new favourite book and I haven’t shut up about it since finishing it!! So, here’s my spoiler-free review of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier!! Rebecca was published in 1938 and has not been out of print a single time since then, it’s that iconic. Set on a gorgeous mansion by the Cornish coast called Manderley, it is the story of an unnamed young woman marrying Maxim de Winter, an older man who was widowed less than a year ago. His beautiful first wife Rebecca was beloved by everyone and tragically drowned at sea in the night. Maxim’s new wife, our protagonist, is painfully shy and feels very insecure, having to run such a big estate with no experience. More importantly, she comes to feel as though Rebecca is still there, as everything used to belong to her and the servants and guests all gush about her. As Rebecca progresses, this feeling intensifies, until the big plot twist happens that I won’t tell you about for obvious reasons.

Reading Rebecca was a very intense experience, I can’t describe it any other way. It took me ages to read a single page, as every sentence seemed so significant and full of meaning. Daphne Du Maurier crafted a beautifully visual story that made me feel as though I was right there in Manderley with them. I cared deeply for those characters and desperately wanted to know what was going on. There was a real sense of foreboding in the first half of the novel and I could not put the book down. Also, the prose is flawless, making you feel Rebecca’s presence and the desperation, loneliness and jealousy of the new wife.

‘I put Manderley first, before anything else. And it does not prosper, that sort of love.’

Rebecca is the kind of book I would like to write a thesis about, as there is so much to uncover here. Names play a huge role in this story, as our protagonist’s first and maiden name are only alluded to, but never revealed. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s name is everywhere and the new wife feels as thoguh she is not truly Mrs. M. de Winter, because Rebecca still holds that title. But there’s also this big question of what makes a place a home, and how we shape the houses and rooms we live in. And what impact do they have on us? How far would you be willing to go to keep your home? Even if the memories you have made there haunt you. And what do you have to do to feel at home in a place that is still so full of a person who has been gone for almost a year?

The novel also reminded me a lot of Jane Eyre, for pretty obvious reasons. Both stories feature first wives who are still very much a part of their husband’s lives, and feel eerily gothic. The protagonists struggle with their own sense of self and are trying to come to terms with their place in the world and the men in their lives aren’t always exactly helpful, but rather reclusive. That being said, Rebecca felt much more modern than Jane Eyre, which makes sense as it was published much later. But even though Rebecca is almost 90 years old (I hope my Maths is correct here, don’t come at me), it feels as though it could have been written yesterday, in a way. Its themes of jealousy and power dynamics between husband and wife who are from different classes are still relevant and intriguing.

We can never go back again, that much is certain. The past is still too close to us.

To me, Rebecca is an absolute masterclass of a story and I am so glad I finally got around to reading it. This is one of those classics that totally deserve the title and their place in the canon. If you’re into Gothic stories where something just feels slightly off, into secrets and ghosts and tales of obsession, do yourself a favour and read Rebecca!