Rebecca

I enjoyed this book while I was reading it, and my appreciation for it only grew the more I thought about it afterward.

At a surface level, there’s already plenty to be creeped out by. Manderley is spooky and atmospheric, Mrs. Danvers gives off sinister vibes, Rebecca feels like she’s haunting the whole place, and everyone seems to be withholding some kind of secret.

But beyond all of that, something about the entire book just felt off in the most delightful way. I realized that might be because I don’t trust the narrator at all. Why would I trust someone who won’t even disclose her name? She tells the story with confidence and authority long after the events took place, but presents her younger self as perfectly innocent and naive, which makes me wonder how much has been whitewashed in hindsight to make her seem like the good guy. Peak unreliable narration.

So much of our understanding of the other characters comes from her biased interpretation of events rather than anything concrete. I’m certainly not arguing that Mrs. Danvers is a good person, but for much of the book, how much evidence do we actually have that she’s as awful as the narrator believes? She describes every look and gesture as hostile, but this is coming from someone so insecure that she can’t stop imagining what everyone else thinks of her.

And what reason do we have to trust Maxim? We never really know him, and even through the narrator’s incredibly forgiving portrait, he comes across as erratic, cold, and manipulative. He’s drawn to her because of her youth and naivety, then provides almost no partnership or emotional support once they arrive at Manderley. Basically, he’s a dick and maybe a pervert.

Then there’s Rebecca herself. We hear conflicting versions of her while never hearing from her at all, so what reason do I have to believe one account over another? And the narrator’s reaction when Maxim drops the big truth bomb is straight insane.

The vibe shift after Maxim’s confession was jarring enough that it almost felt like a different book, but overall I thought this was amazing. I loved reaching the end and not being sure what to believe. Also, something about that opening line, “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again,” is just perfectly chilling.

Book author: Daphne du Maurier