A Masterpiece - Daphne de Maurier's Rebecca is a treat to all thriller lovers

 One of the best books ever written – the only thing that comes to mind when I think about the grand emotional ride named Rebecca. I have read numerous thrillers, but I haven’t read a Rebecca. Everything about the book unapologetically appeals to a thriller lover. The writing style is strongly gripping, making it hard to stop at any chapter for a break. There is an effortless flow to narration, making the readers actually visualize the grand scenes in front of their eyes.

The plot is narrated by Mrs. de Winter, the second wife of Maxim de Winter. The former, introvert, guideless, initially working as a paid companion to a lady, Mrs. Van Hopper, accepts Maxim’s marriage proposal and moves in to Manderley, the grand, luxurious estate of Maxim. But, does she really know her husband? Is everybody in the house what they seem like? Why is Rebecca, the dead first wife of her husband able to make such an impact of her married life? Why does the housekeeper Mrs. Danvers hate her for no apparent reason? Why does every nook and corner of the house, every person she meets remind her of Rebecca? These are questions that don’t let you relax till you have read the last page.

One of the best elements that made me stick even more was the setting. It is one charming, enchanted one. The grand house has a retro feel, as if watching a vintage movie. The surrounding of the house is a harmonious blend of eeriness and beauty. There are deep wood, gardens with rhododendrons, roses, azaleas in bloom. There is sea on the other side, and the beach. The setting is the objective correlative of the story. The sky changing colour, the birds flying, the flowers blooming all reflect on the narrator’s state of mind. The sea, the woods, Manderley are all characters of no less significance than the characters of blood and bone. You long to be a part of the story as you read on. You become the story.

You don’t really figure out the “right” side or “wrong” side. The narrator soon earns the readers’ sympathy as they look at the story through her eyes. But there is more to that. The character of Rebecca is like a phantom in itself emerging out of the book, vague at first, but gradually taking shape with events progressing, secrets revealing. I am sure you will finish the book, but Rebecca will be with you, at least a part of her.

A masterpiece has been created by de Maurier. To uphold a dead person with such vividness, to build up such a mysterious character, and to do it in such a way as to manipulate the readers into actually taking a step back, and retrospect on the entire story, is truly praiseworthy.

Rebecca is definitely a treat to all thriller lovers!

My Rating: 5/5

Happy Reading!😇