Rebecca | Daphne Du Maurier

The heroine of Rebecca is a young girl who works as a paid companion to an indignant elderly lady, Mrs. Van Hopper. On a trip to Monte Carlo with Mrs. Hopper our heroine meets Maxim de Winter, a rich handsome widower. Despite the age difference between the two, they develop a bond, a friendship and begin to see each other often. A surprise marriage proposal from Mr. de Winter takes our heroine from the warm setting of South of France to the cold, dark and yet beautiful mansion, Manderly. Here she learns and discovers so much about her husband – be it his past or his present life, that she realises that she has never known the man whom she has married.
But, what worries and haunts her the most is the presence of his dead beautiful wife, Rebecca in every corner of Manderley.

This book has a list of notorious characters who you will mostly despise or be scared of – the nameless narrator, a villain that you for some reason you vouch for and a character who is dead but her presence is felt throughout the story.

This is my second book from Daphne du Maurier and just like My Cousin Rachel, the author maintains the dark, sinister setting where you know almost everything but as you progress with the book you begin to doubt your knowledge. You do not understand who to trust, who to support, who to hate and who to love. This dilemma in your mind that makes du Maurier’s books unputdownable can be attributed to her tricky and ambiguous writing. With some extraordinary lines, Rebecca is truly a masterpiece.

Rebecca deserves the praise and love it has received since the day it was published. The story is dark and thrilling with some memorable characters. A must read!