Rebecca’s secrets revealed in du Maurier’s classic thriller

Another good one! Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is an extremely well-written novel. Part psychological thriller, part murder mystery, du Maurier’s style captivates the reader with detailed descriptions and fully developed characters, and holds your attention to the last page. This film was later made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock (who also did du Maurier’s short story “The Birds”.)

The novel is told in the first person by a young lady, who we never hear her given name. She is from a poor background and is in the employ of a rich American socialite (or at least, wannabe socialite) when they are visiting Monte Carlo. She is very young, very shy, and very sheltered. In Monte Carlo she meets Maxim de Winter, a wealthy Englishman recently widowed by his wife Rebecca, who drowned at their estate. She quickly falls for his dashing looks and straight-forward nature, and when the American is ready to leave, Maxim asks the young girl to marry him and come with him instead.

After their honeymoon around Europe, they return to his family home, Manderley, on the coast of England. There the new Mrs de Winter realizes how popular Rebecca was. The staff still does things the way Rebecca wanted, and see the new bride as an interloper, at least to her eyes. Manderley was completed renovated by Rebecca during her time there, and there is evidence of her everywhere. Mrs de Winter realizes Maxim misses Rebecca too, especially when the two visit Rebecca’s favorite little cove where she would stay in a cottage and sail off the beach (where she was drowned). The staff, in particular the sharp-tongued Mrs Danvers, does not make life easy for Mrs de Winter. Maxim grows distant over time, adding fuel to his wife’s nervous nature.

It all comes to a head when Mrs Danvers suggests a costume ball, the kind that Rebecca used to throw. All of the county is excited, as Rebecca always threw the best parties. With Mrs Danvers help, Mrs de Winter decides to dress up as a distant relative of Maxim’s, whose portrait hangs in the hall. When she reveals herself, the family is aghast and Maxim is furious. Turns out that was Rebecca’s costume at her last ball, of which Mrs Danvers was obviously well aware. Mrs de Winter returns to her room in tears, fearful that Maxim will now leave her for good. She changes and comes down to the ball, but Maxim never speaks to her and she spends the night alone.

The next day, Mrs de Winter awakes dreading what will happen, but is interrupted with news that a boat has hit rocks in the cove and they are rescuing the crew. When a diver goes down to see what caused the grounding, they discover Rebecca’s boat, and not only that, but a body inside the cabin still. People wonder who the body could be (Maxim had identified a woman’s body as Rebecca when it was found months after her death, washed up on another shore), but Maxim takes his wife aside and admits that the body found now will be that of Rebecca’s. We find now that Rebecca is not who everyone thought she was. She was cold and uncaring, nice to people’s faces but demeaning behind their backs. She was running around on her husband, and only Maxim knew of her true nature. One night he went to her cottage to confront her, and when she said she was pregnant by another man, he shot and killed her, stuffing her body in the cabin of her boat and sinking it.

An inquest is held, where the jury decides that Rebecca’s death was suicide. Her cousin Jack refuses to believe this, and pulls the magistrate up to present evidence that Rebecca was going to leave Maxim for him, as proof that Rebecca was murdered to hide her secret lifestyle. They hunt down the doctor she saw the day she died, where everyone learns that she was not pregnant, but instead had cancer and would have died painfully within months. The police now agree with the suicide determination, while Maxim believes she only lied about the pregnancy to get him to kill her and end her pain, getting one last hand above him in the end. On the way home from London that night, Maxim and his wife see that the beloved Manderley mansion is burning.

I really enjoyed this book from cover to cover. The several big reveals (Rebecca’s costume at the ball, Maxim’s murder of her) had me gasping out loud. Du Maurier’s narrative style truly paints the picture of Mrs de Winter’s thoughts, fears, and aspirations, and also the changes in her way of thinking from young girl that knows nothing, to stong woman standing by her husband in the end. A page-turner I just didn’t want to put down!