Rebecca, by Daphné du Maurier

I didn't know when I started reading this, but this book is a classic. Rebecca was adapted into a film by none other than Alfred Hitchcock in 1940 (and in 2020 by a certain Ben Wheatley). The author, Daphne du Maurier, also wrote The Birds (the novella from which Hitchcock's film was made, again), and is one of the most widely read authors in the English literary world. And I wasn't sure if I should continue it because I found it, honestly, a bit boring. Good thing I didn't. How come I had never heard of this author?

Summary

The narrator, anonymous, is a maid for a rather horrible old lady. She is an orphan, has almost no education, has no particular talent, and is not really pretty. In short, she doesn't have much going for her. So we understand why, when a rich and charming man offers her to accompany him on car rides, she accepts and falls in love. And why, when he asks her to marry him, she accepts without hesitation.

This man, Mr. de Winter, brings her to his home, the Manderley estate. Soon, the narrator discovers that the employees of Manderley are still suffering from the death of Mr. de Winter's ex-wife, Rebecca. Beautiful, intelligent and funny, everyone loved her, and the narrator finds herself competing with a kind of goddess, and a dead one at that. But her husband refuses to tell her about Rebecca, while the head maid does everything to make her miserable. But who was this Rebecca, and what caused her sudden death?

Impressions

I tend to like books where not much happens (I have read the entirety of In Search of Lost Time, after all). Nonetheless, Rebecca tested my limits. It's technically a suspense book, but expect to spend a good 100 pages wondering when the story begins.

There was still something that kept me going, but I couldn't put my finger on it. A feeling of insecurity, perhaps. A vague impression that something was wrong. And gradually, very gradually, this impression was confirmed. And at that point, I was sold. Nothing would have convinced me to give up the book.

Apparently, when it was published, the book was a huge success. Reviewers didn't think the story was particularly original, but it was very well told. I agree. I'm not the best at deducing who are the murderers in crime novels. My boyfriend, on the other hand, is pretty good and he correctly guessed what was going to happen based solely on my summary. So let's just say that in terms of plot, you can easily find better.

Nevertheless, there is something refined enough in Daphne du Maurier's writing to bamboozle the reader almost without his consent. And my enthusiasm was real.

The 2020 version of Rebecca (the movie) is available on the German Netflix. I'm watching it tonight, and I'll give you an update.

Update: I watched half the movie yesterday. Obviously, the book is better, but the movie is still very faithful to it. The narrator is much prettier than she should be, as you can see below, but hey, we're not complaining too much. A decent movie, but not interesting enough for me to finish it. So while you're at it, read the book.