Book Review: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I’m sure that those of you who have read ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier will never forget the first line – “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again”. I most certainly won’t. Without knowing anything about the story that was to follow, just by reading this one line I got this feeling that I was about to read something special. I can’t really explain it. Maybe it’s the dreamy, haunting nature of the line that instantly attracted me. Maybe it was the name Manderley.

I don’t want to give out any spoilers for those who haven’t read the book yet so I’ll keep the description short. Rebecca is a crime/mystery thriller that was first published in 1938. After his first wife dies in a tragic accident, Mr. De Winter marries the young and reserved Mrs. De Winter (also the narrator). They move to his countryside estate, Manderley, after their marriage and it is there where the main story is set. Like I mentioned before, I don’t know what it was but whenever I read the name Manderley, a chill ran up my spine. I’m very certain that this is what the author intended as well. The location could not be more perfect. On the face of it, it seems like a lovely place with flowers growing all around, forest on one side, the sea on the other. But despite all of that you know there’s something sinister about the place. You can just feel it there right beneath the surface. That’s the effect that Manderley has on you.

Never before have I read a novel where one of the main protagonists had such a huge impact without even being alive. Rebecca, Mr. de Winter’s first wife who died in an accident makes her presence felt right through the book even if she is not mentioned in a scene. You sense her presence in every room in Manderley. Without even being present, she’s easily the most important person in the room. As with Manderley, the author gives the impression that Rebecca is the most perfect person but in between she gives tiny glimpses that something may be amiss.

Someone I talked to while reading this book asked me to view one of the characters from the point of view of mental instability. I must admit though that I never looked at it from that point of view and once I did, a whole new interesting perspective opened up. If you’ve the book or plan on reading it, then please do look at it from that point of view. I don’t want to reveal that in a review, I would love to discuss that in person with anyone who is interested in doing so.

I would end by saying that Rebecca is an absolute classic that everyone MUST read! It’s a book that seems far ahead of its times. I’ve read similar books that were released recently like Girl on the train and let me assure you that even they fall short of this masterpiece. As usual I’ve only reserved the 5 star rating for the rarest of rare books and this is surely one of them. Despite being written nearly 80 years ago, the language and style is simple to understand and is capable of keeping you captivated right through. If you haven’t already read it then this is one book that you need to add to your to-be-read list.

My Rating: 5/5