Book Review:1

Rebecca

                                                                           -Daphne Du Maurier

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.."
Even after half a century, Daphne DU Maurier's Rebecca continues to win hearts with its captivating plot and unpredictable twists. Originally published in 1938, this book has gained critical acclamation from critics all over the world and has been the recipient of the Anthony award for best novel of the century and the National book award for fiction. It has also been adapted as a movie by Alfred Hitchcock. This book, being a delightful juxtaposition of mystery and romance, has been at the zenith in the field of Gothic literature. The steady growth of suspense and the beautiful narration makes it totally engrossing and unputdownable.

The story kick starts with the heroine dreaming about a visit to Manderley, all deserted and ruined. The author does an excellent job here, describing the bucolic mansion in every bits and pieces, giving it an almost life like image. The plot then regresses back to how it all started. Mr Maximilian De Winter, the landlord of Manderley, was on one of his usual visits to the city of Monte Carlo, Italy. There he had a chance meeting with the snobbish Mrs Van Hoppers and the narrator. The narrator was a paid companion to Mrs Hoppers in relation. To quote from the text, "She is an employer. She's training me to be a thing called a companion, and she pays me ninety pounds a year." The narrator and Mr. De Winter got to know each other very closely in this short interval and by the end of the trip the narrator had landed up with a marriage proposal from 'Maxim' to which she happily consented.

Getting married to Maximilian De Winter was almost a dream come true for her, for now the infamous Manderley belonged to her. The first few days at Manderley were good excepting the cold reception by the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers. But as said by Maxim, she was an 'extraordinary' character and just a housekeeper by profession so she could be ignored. The narrator's gauche manners were directly in contrast with the royal aura of the place but Mr. De Winter, being an perfect gentleman, never let her feel out of place. Her happiness turned out to be quite ephemeral though. As days passed she got subsumed by the ghost of Rebecca. It was as if her spirit lurked everywhere, in every nook and corner, of the humongous mansion. She realized how Rebecca had set a high standard for the position of the mistress of the house and how she would never be able to live up to it.

The sinister housekeeper was responsible to a great extent for intimating such feelings in her. She always dropped subtle signs indicating that she was no match to the former Mrs De Winter. It was not long before she noticed a marked change in the behavior of Maxim as well. He seldom used to get quiet. He used to stare outside the window blankly , with a lost look in his eyes and a deathlike pallor on his countenance and she knew then that he was thinking of Rebecca. Mrs Danvers'  diabolical intentions got very clear after she made the narrator dress up exactly like Rebecca at a grand ball at Manderley, thus creating a deep chasm between the two De Winters. She further glutted her mind with stories of how much Maxim loved Rebecca, how depressed he was on learning of her death, how he used to 'walk up and down the library' in agony for hours, how he had lost his mirth after her death. The young Mrs De Winter, helpless as she was, believed in all of these false conclusions.

Had it not been for the dramatic turn of events that took place next, their marriage would have been at stake. A diver accidentally chanced upon Rebecca's boat and to everyone's surprise, there lied a body in the boat's cabin. After much inquiry and speculation, Mrs De Winter dawned upon the fact that it was Rebecca's body itself and it was none other than her beloved husband who had murdered her. She then learned of their unsuccessful marriage, the notorious character of the woman adored by all and most importantly the fact that Maxim never loved Rebecca. Even though murder is a treacherous deed, unforgivable by all means, Mrs De Winter stood by her husband through all the odds in an attempt to save him from getting convicted. And even though they succeeded at that, Rebecca won in the end for upon returning at Manderley, they found it on fire. She succeeded in taking away from Maximilian De Winter his only great possession.

Although it's an open ended story, it can be clearly concluded from the circumstances that it was Mrs Danvers who had set the mansion on fire. It is worth noting at this point that the name of the narrator had been taken only once in the entire story which according to me might just be another tool to highlight the fact that even though Rebecca was dead in person, she still remained the true Mrs De Winter in essence. It has also been an outstanding effort on the part of Du Maurier to make the presence of Rebecca felt so deeply at every point of the narrative thus justifying the title. All in all, it is an extraordinary book with an extraordinary theme and extraordinary characters which is sure to keep you enraptured till the very end.