A review by e_r_q
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"I feel her everywhere. You do too, don't you?"

Rebecca is a captivating, mysterious and dark gothic romance. In many ways, it is also a highly unconventional ghost story. Despite being a slow-burn, it is undeniably an incredibly engrossing novel; I just can't get it out of my head.

It is consistently unpredictable, and the various twists and turns it took genuinely managed to shock me. Everything builds to an unforgettably tense climax.

I absolutely loved Daphne du Maurier's masterful characterisation. The unamed protagonist is probably one of my favourite narrators of all time; I really liked her uncertainty and insecurity, and I loved how she constantly drifted into elaborate day-dreams. I also really liked how every character, to an extent, is extremely unreliable, lending a degree of ambiguity to the events of the novel.

I am also in love with du Maurier's gorgeously gothic and strikingly atmospheric writing; she manages to make the setting of Manderley feel like a character in itself.

Unfortunately, it is very much a product of its time, with some dated and abhorrent racist and abelist moments.

But overall, Rebecca is an iconic tale of obsession, love, gender, trust, power and the haunting force of the past. There's a reason it's a classic.
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