Novelish

ISBN: [Varies by edition] Words: 162,000
Author: Daphne Du Maurier

“THE UNSURPASSED MODERN MASTERPIECE OF ROMANTIC SUSPENSE,” boasts the cover.

Well, I’m not sure about that - the book was published in 1938, and neither romantic nor suspenseful are adjectives that immediately spring to mind, by today’s standards - but I enjoyed Rebecca quite a lot for other reasons.

The unnamed narrator of Rebecca is vacationing with her employer when they happen to meet the widower Maxim de Winter at their hotel. She soon falls hopelessly in love with him, and though she couldn’t be more astonished when he proposes to her, she accepts. They have a small, private wedding while traveling abroad.

But when they return to Maxim’s magnificent country estate - Manderley - some of the servants are less than welcoming to the new Mrs de Winter. Her happiness, she realizes, may not come as naturally as she had expected.

Does that sound boring? Because it’s not. The plot was very well put together, in fact, and contained some fairly sizable surprises.

The writing felt extremely British and reminded me of Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle in places. I liked it. I liked it enough that I’d probably read most anything written in a similar style, regardless of content.

The whole atmosphere created by the book’s style is also apparent in its settings - Manderley shares all the charm of Brideshead or one of those large houses from the Jeeves and Wooster television series. It was all very early-twentieth-century, in a good way.

Some reviewers consider the ending to be something of a tragedy, but all things considered, I wouldn’t agree. I thought it was satisfying enough. I should probably leave it at that so I don’t spoil anything, but I’m sure anyone who’s read the book will understand what I’m talking about.