Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…
Rebecca is well known for a lot of things: the big, beautiful manor house that is the setting for most of the book and almost a character in its own right; the haunting presence of the memory of the first Mrs. de Winter, with the influence and power of a ghost; the narrator who remains resolutely unnamed throughout the entire book; the jealous, possessive, and obsessive housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, whose malevolent presence casts a shadow over the narrator’s life as certainly as does the ghost of Rebecca. On one level, it tells the story of an ordinary girl swept up into a life of remarkable privilege, and the ways, both routine and profound, that the fairytale is not as perfect as it seems. On another, it delves into the depths of human relationships to jealousy, pride, and obsession, and some very subjective interpretations of right and wrong.
This book is so ingrained in the cultural awareness, that you may feel like you know everything about it before you even start reading it— or maybe that’s just me, because of the countless times I’ve watched the stellar BBC production, starring Emilia Fox, Charles Dance, and Diana Rigg as a supremely creepy Mrs. Danvers. Somehow, despite my love of this adaptation, I had never read the book before. Finally, I developed a sudden urge to finally read Rebecca, and I committed to check the book out of the library and sit down and read it.
There were no surprises plot-wise, as I discovered that the 1997 version of Rebecca followed the book almost to the letter. Even the dialogue of the film is mostly word-for-word from the book. The novel allows us to enter fully into the head of our narrator, however, the unnamed second Mrs. de Winter, who is swept suddenly from a life of anonymity as a lady’s companion to the overbearing Mrs. van Hopper into the strange new world of Manderley, the ancient home of the de Winters. This insight is the thing that is remarkable in the book; the narrator’s feelings and beliefs about what is happening around her and her perceptions of the world she’s living in at times seem like the normal reactions of a young, naive girl placed in a position in which she is in over her head. At others, we are shown glimpses of darker things lurking beneath the surface. Her ideas about her predecessor, about her husband, and about the people in her new world swirl in her mind, leaving the reader uncertain at times how much is true and how much is her uncomfortable fancy.
All of these forces come together in Manderley, the ancient house and grounds of the de Winter family, which serves not only as the setting of most of the novel but also as a driving force of the story. Everything comes back to Manderley; Maxim de Winter is identified through his association with the great house, and it is revealed that as a child the narrator purchased a picture postcard of Manderley, enchanted by the beautiful stately home even in the form of a low-quality picture in a souvenir shop. The narrator is caught up in a struggle for control of Manderley, competing, sometimes hopelessly, sometimes determinedly, with the departed Rebecca for her place as the lady of the house.
For all of her admiration of Manderley, the narrator struggles to feel at home there. Sometimes the old house feels incredibly alien with its vast size, army of servants, and the grand expectations and interests of neighbors about the house and its goings-on, and sometimes it feels like the irretrievable realm of Rebecca. Occasionally, though, she sees the possibilities of a happy life there, and feels the pride that her husband feels in being the caretakers of such a significant little piece of the world.
Rebecca is one of those novels, like Wuthering Heights, that is often rather unfairly labeled as a love story. While there is a love story of a sort buried in there, this is rather a tale of obsession. On the surface it seems that everyone is obsessed with Rebecca, but look under the surface and you’ll see that there are other forces at work.
This is the perfect book to read if you’re looking for something a bit creepy, but still want to keep things seasonal for spring or summer. Who knew bright, gorgeous flowers could give such gothic vibes?
You can get a copy of Rebecca here! *Note: This is an affiliate link*
