Book Review: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

3.5/5

Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is often described as a modern classic and, by many trusted sources of mine, described as a great novel.

Naturally, hearing that this book was amazing made me excited to read it, but in the first 200 pages or so, I just didn’t get it.

Things were fairly boring after a while and I found myself reading out of pity for the protagonist, hoping something would happen to put us both out of our misery.

It’s fair to say that Rebecca is a slow burner, which is okay, and necessary for us to really understand the narrator – who is never named – Maxim, Mrs Danvers and Rebecca.

What I’d say to readers is give it a chance. In hindsight, I should’ve read something about the novel first so that I knew a huge plot twist would come about. And it’s a plot twist that actually made me physically react. As in I jumped out of my chair.

The parallels between Rebecca and Jane Eyre, I think, are tenuous and weak, though. In Jane Eyre, there’s a genuine, loving relationship. Even at the end of this novel, there isn’t really an equal, loving relationship. We don’t see enough of it (if there is one) and the character of Maxim de Winter, the husband of the deceased Rebecca and the narrator, is not like Mr Rochester either.

Perhaps the narrator and Jane are similar, but once again they aren’t the same, so I would be sceptical of comparisons to Charlotte Brontë’s most prized novel.

Still, though, the plot twist and the character building as well as the setting of Rebecca make for a great Gothic read. I did really enjoy it and found myself unable to tear myself away towards the end of the novel. Overall, it didn’t disappoint.