Book –Rebecca

Book –Rebecca

Author: Daphne Du Maurier 

Score: 10/10
Year : 1938 (original publication) 

Publisher: Avon Books 

ISBN 0-380-00917-X

Pages 380 

Language:  English

After watching Hitchcock's Rebecca a few times, I just finished reading it with the prospect of re-watching said movie and ascertain the quality of his adaptation, and correct my oversight in reading this classic piece of literature. 

I love Du Maurier's style in this novel, with great attention the narrator's analysis of both her inner world of emotions and psychology, as well as of the external world around, often to great details of her surroundings, daily routine and actions. 

This narrator is never named, even after she meets a man and is constantly compared to the greatness of his former wife, Rebecca. 

I really like the originality of this novel where the main protagonist is over-shadowed and not named, contrary to Rebecca - which has been chosen as the title ; Rebecca is brought to life through characters' comments about her, and how different the narrator is from her - as well as through her own narrative. 

The novel follows her as she unravels, step by step, the nature of Rebecca ; she meets everyone the previous wife of her husband ever met and it is through this almost-detective work that the narrator is thrust into the web of her new home : Manderley, on the Cornish coast.

The suspense is very well built in the 27 chapters and 380 pages that I suggest anyone reads in proper order - no skipping to the end for spoilers, mind you!

The ending is certainly not what you'd expect from a romance novel...

The author uses the narrator to slowly peal away layers and layers of hidden truths about each character, and we learn with this narrator quite a bit - leaving some to conjecture, nonetheless, so we can discuss and decide the nature of those hints and suggestions she leaves like crumbs, and we must be the outside detectives...  

Character evolution isn't forgotten, either. 

I enjoyed this ''unsurpassed modern masterpiece of romance suspense'' (as proclaimed on the book-cover) very much, with the obvious exceptions of food and discussions of other actions that hurt animals (such as hunting), but they are very much part of the intrigue - and no one is truly hurt through printed words. 

Finally, Rebecca is one of those books that can be read and re-read, analysed and cross-analysed, because it has many details that will raise questions - which I feel are essential to ask, and to try to answer. It's no wonder it had such a success throughout the years, it's just really well written! 

PS the narrator is depicted as timid and shy - but through her own narration, it is clear to me that she suffers from some social anxieties and this is why I used to the key word social phobias as a blanket, since this is very important for me to specify the various fiction or non-fiction dealing with this subject.
She also describes many times details of things she imagine that others are saying or thinking about her, as well as possible futures. I really liked these aspects of the novel, as I don't often encounter such fictional characters. 

PS..2 : there are some details that must be taken in their social contexts ; the novel was first published in 1938...