Someone gave me a copy of Daphne du Maurier's Gothic novel Rebecca many years ago, but I only just got around to reading it last week. I finished it yesterday and boy, is it ever an intense read!
The heroine is an unnamed woman in her early twenties who is working as a lady's companion for an overbearing woman when she meets the wealthy widower Maxim de Winter. They marry after knowing each other only two weeks, but their marriage gets off to a very rough start to say the least. Even before they get started, the second Mrs. de Winter finds herself in the shadow of Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, who was reported to have died the previous year in a boating accident. Making things worse is the fact that the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, has turned the whole of Manderley into a shrine to Rebecca. The young bride becomes determined to find out who her late predecessor was and what secrets were kept from the public. The tension comes to a head at the annual ball and on the beach.
Rebecca can be described as a ghost story without the paranormal. There may not be anything supernatural going on, but the lingering presence of the dead Rebecca qualifies Manderley as a haunted house. This adds a level of surrealism to the story, with memories of Rebecca popping out of every nook and cranny. The morning room and her bedroom have been kept the way she left them. Mrs. Danvers not shuts up about Rebecca. People make comments to the bride about how she is not like Rebecca, leading the shy and naive woman to think that she is being judged and can never live up to their expectations. The very memory of Rebecca interferes with the bride's relationship with Maxim, causing the new Mrs. de Winter thinks her husband does not love her at all.
I don't really have a quibble with the book, but it's not for the faint of heart. The climactic scenes at the ball and the beach and are very shocking to say the least, and the suspense can be too much at times, especially if you're a sensitive type. But I would still say give it a read. In fact, I would highly recommend Rebecca to anyone who loves romance and suspense.
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