“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again”… After
approaching Rebecca when I was younger, my memories of it seemed almost like a
distant dream, so I decided to revisit Daphne Du Maurier’s bestselling novel
after many years. Just like the protagonist and narrator, I was instantly
transported back to the imposing and psychologically haunting estate of
Manderly, with its winding roads, dark woods and grotesque rhododendrons. I
felt the grasp of Du Maurier’s gothic take hold and I knew I would be unable to
put her novel down for the second time.
The
narrator tells of her travels as the companion of Mrs Van Hopper and the reader
discovers whilst holidaying in Monte Carlo, the narrator meets Maxim De Winter,
a wealthy Englishman and widower. Whilst Mrs Van Hopper is recovering from
illness, Mr De Winter courts the young narrator and after two weeks proposes a
rushedmarriage.
Returning
to his estate of Manderly, as Mrs De Winter, the narrator soon realises it is
not going to be the marriage she dreamed of. Haunted by the memory of the
former Mrs De Winter, who drowned whilst sailing, we experience first-hand the
madness that begins to engulf her. Wherever she turns, whatever she uses,
whoever she sees, most notably the chilling housekeeper Mrs Danvers, reminds
the new Mrs De Winter that Rebecca haunts the Manderly halls still.
Will
Rebecca’s reign over Manderly and all those who live there continue? An
unexpected shipwreck threatens the already fraught household of Manderly and
the secret that Mr De Winter has kept hidden for so long…
A
gripping read that kept me up into the late hours! Daphne Du Maurier’s combination of the Gothic
and psychological realism captured my imagination and emotions and I myself
became haunted by Rebecca and the power she had as a character in the book. Just like Bertha in the attic, readers have
been and will be haunted by Rebecca for years to come and I encourage you to be
one of them!
