Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

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Rebecca
by Daphne du Maurier
(Audio)

It's been more than seventeen years since I last read this book. I'm not even sure how many times I've read it now. Three? Four? I'd never earread it, though, so this was a nice, new way to experience it. I've seen several movie adaptations as well (wrote a paper in school comparing two versions and the book). So I was familiar with the story. It's amazing how much I'd forgotten, though, in all these years. I decided to read it again because one of my coworkers started reading it and I wanted it fresh in my mind.

Going in, I remembered the big things. I remembered the great first line (flash backward/forward all at once). I remembered the POV and the fact that we never learn the main character's first name (and that's a fascinating thing in and of itself). I remembered how much I hated Mrs. Danvers, who loved Rebecca. I remembered that Ben knew what had happened and Maxim had done/said something to shut him up. I remembered that there had been a boating accident and that Maxim looked to be responsible for killing his first wife. But that was about it. What was happened in the rest of the book? Certainly there were things that happened in-between the three or four huge scenes?

As it turns out, the book is far shorter than I had remembered, so there actually isn't all that much in-between that I'd forgotten. But I had forgotten the way she slowly adjusted to her new place and role at Manderley. I'd forgotten her breaking one of Manderley's "treasures" and hiding it in the back of a desk because of shame and then being scared to speak up until someone else was blamed--which is exactly how I would have reacted. I'd forgotten the details and twists of the trial and of Rebecca's cousin insisting Rebecca was going to run away with him. And I'd forgotten the twist with the doctor at the end.

It was beautiful watching it unfold again before me. And it was fantastic seeing all the layers to the issue that I had completely forgotten. I'd even forgotten the dream sequence at the end. But I ended up stumbling upon a debate on Good Reads where people were discussing the likelihood that Maxim would or wouldn't commit suicide after the book's conclusion.

I found this reading of Rebecca to be filled with as much mystery and excitement, as many rich characters, and as wonderful an earread as the first time I picked it up. It's like I was reading it almost for the first time. A beautifully written book that kept me on the edge of my seat and painted a haunting, chilling story.