The first-person
narrator of Rebecca
was never given a first name, as if to make the point about her
situation: She feels so much less — less capable, less
beautiful, less confident, less authoritative, less significant
— than the first Mrs. Maxim de Winter, the book's
title character.
A 21-year-old orphan, the narrator is making her living as paid
companion to a rich American traveling in Monte Carlo when she meets
Maxim de Winter, owner of the renowned Manderley estate in England. He
is reputed to be grieving the drowning death of his wife, Rebecca. When
her employer is sidelined in bed for a few weeks, the narrator is taken
out by Maxim. He is twice her age, and she thinks he's just being nice
to her. But then he proposes marriage, and even though she barely knows
him, she accepts, becoming mistress of Manderley. There she faces a
creepy housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who worshipped Rebecca and never
fails to compare the unworldly new wife with the sophisticated old one.
Others — house guests, acquaintances, servants —
also are struck by the contrast; as Maxim's sister notes, "You are so
very different from Rebecca." With Maxim strangely uncommunicative, a
big part of the book transpires before the narrator realizes she
needn't fear the comparison. Once she finally learns the truth about
Rebecca, the plot moves fast, with surprising twists.
Heavy on atmosphere and suspense, Rebecca is an outstanding
psychological mystery but not a typical one. How Rebecca actually died
goes undetected, and du Maurier leaves readers sympathizing with a
murderer. With their lives profoundly changed, the de Winters can only
dream about a Manderley to which they will never return.
.
Home
My
reviews
My
friends' reviews