“Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me.”
That is the famous first line of Rebecca, book by Daphne Du Maurier that was released in 1938. I’ve never read a book by Du Maurier before, and I’ve never read a book with an unidentified heroine. first a little grating, but I believe the author’s has a motive in it. We already knew how the ending in chapter 1, but as soon as we start reading chapter 2, we will start to understand what is happening.
“We can never go back again, that much is certain. The past is still too close to us.”
The Unnamed, or the narrator, is a young orphan girl who works as Mrs. Van Hopper’s companion while she is on vacation in Monte Carlo. A wealthy Englishman named Maxim de Winter, a widower in his forties, strikes up a friendship with the unnamed narrator, a gullible young woman in her early twenties. She decides to marry him after a fortnight of romance, and after the nuptials and honeymoon, she travels with him to his mansion in Cornwall, the lovely estate Manderley. The narrator later become The New Mrs. De Winter and the mistress of Manderley.
“We came to Manderley in early May, arriving, so Maxim said, with the first swallows and the bluebells. It would be the best moment, before the full flush of summer, and in the valley the azaleas would be prodigal of scent, and the bloodred rhododendrons in bloom.”
There is an evil housekeeper in Manderley named Mrs. Danvers. She didn’t like The New Mrs. De Winter, because she devoted to the late Mrs. Rebecca De Winter who died in accident last year. She makes repeated psychological attempts to undermine the narrator, implying quietly that she will never match Rebecca’s charm, beauty, and sophistication. When these things are made, the narrator becomes envious.
“Rebecca, always Rebecca. Wherever I walked in Manderley, wherever I sat, even in my thoughts and in my dreams, I met Rebecca. I knew her figure now, the long slim legs, the small and narrow feet. Her shoulders, broader than mine, the capable clever hands. Hands that could steer a boat, could hold a horse. Hands that arranged flowers, made the models of ships, and wrote “Max from Rebecca” on the flyleaf of a book. I knew her face too, small and oval, the clear white skin, the cloud of dark hair. I knew the scent she wore, I could guess her laughter and her smile. If I heard it, even among a thousand others, I should recognize her voice. Rebecca, always Rebecca. I should never be rid of Rebecca. “
Sad to say, the narrator is powerless against both the dead and the living, and because of her vulnerability and insecurities, she also felt threatened by Mrs. Danvers. As a result, her days at Manderley became uncomfortable, strange, and mentally draining. She miss the days of her honeymoon in Italy and now she must deal with reality. She began to question Maxim’s love for him and whether he still had feelings for Rebecca.
“But Rebecca would never grow old. Rebecca would always be the same. And her I could not fight. She was too strong for me.“
It’s very interesting not to give the main character a name, but there’s a character who doesn’t appear to have a name, Rebecca. But, I think the intrigue of name is doesn’t matter, I like her style and if the writer given her a name, the vibes of this book wouldn’t be the same. I assumed that the narrator is despearate to find her place in Manderley and the identity as Mrs. De Winter.
This book is the best book I read in 2023 so far. Five stars !! I love the metaphor and so many memorable lines still relate today. I miss the thrill of reading that makes my heart beat fast, and want to finish it soon. This book is page turning but with a slow pace that doesn’t bore you. This book has the theme of gothic romance, mystery and suspense. it is called gothic because it is housed in a gothic architectural style building, Manderley.
P.S: The Movie adaptation, Rebecca (2020) is so much help me to figure out. Starring Lily James as New Mrs. de Winter, I love the cinematography and the presentment of Manderley such a ‘lovely’ place.
