27 Mar Book Review: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Some books pull you in from the first page and wrap you in their atmosphere so completely that by the time you finish, you feel like you’ve lived inside them. Rebecca is one of those books. It’s gothic, unsettling, and hypnotic in a way that makes it impossible to put down. It’s a novel about love and obsession, but also about power, memory, and the way the past refuses to stay buried. Even though it was published in 1938, it still feels timeless, the kind of story that lingers in the back of your mind long after you’ve finished.

What’s it about?

The story is told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator, a young, inexperienced woman who, at the start of the novel, is working as a companion to a wealthy, demanding American woman. Her life is dull and unremarkable, but everything changes when she meets Maxim de Winter, a mysterious and reserved widower who owns the grand English estate known as Manderley.

Maxim, much older and seemingly haunted by his past, surprises everyone when he suddenly proposes to the narrator after a whirlwind romance in Monte Carlo. She is swept off her feet, believing that she has found love and security, and after a quick wedding, she moves with him to Manderley.

But from the moment she arrives, it becomes clear that she is not truly welcome there. The shadow of Rebecca, Maxim’s late wife, looms over everything. Rebecca was beautiful, confident, and seemingly perfect, the kind of woman who commanded every room she entered. She was the mistress of Manderley in a way that the new Mrs. de Winter feels she can never be.

Everyone in the house—from the servants to Maxim’s friends—seems to compare her to Rebecca. The housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, is particularly hostile. Cold, calculating, and eerily devoted to Rebecca’s memory, she manipulates and undermines the narrator at every turn, making her feel small and inadequate. Mrs. Danvers still keeps Rebecca’s room exactly as it was, preserved like a shrine, and subtly torments the new Mrs. de Winter by reminding her that she will never live up to her predecessor.

As the narrator becomes increasingly paranoid and insecure, she starts to obsess over Rebecca, desperate to understand who she really was and what happened to her. She begins to believe that Maxim is still in love with his dead wife and that she will never escape Rebecca’s presence.

But then, everything changes.

A shipwreck off the coast near Manderley leads to the discovery of Rebecca’s body, hidden in the wreckage of her boat. Until now, everyone believed that Rebecca had drowned in a tragic accident, but this revelation raises disturbing questions—if Rebecca’s body has only just been found, then who was buried in her place? And how did she really die?

As the mystery unfolds, the narrator learns the truth: Rebecca was not the perfect wife everyone believed her to be. She was manipulative, cruel, and deceptive. She controlled everyone around her, including Maxim, whom she tormented with her infidelities and schemes. Maxim, far from mourning her loss, hated her—so much so that, on the night she died, he shot her in a moment of rage after she taunted him with the knowledge that she was pregnant with another man’s child.

The narrator, instead of being horrified, feels a strange sense of relief. She now knows that Maxim never loved Rebecca, that she was not competing with a perfect memory. But the revelation also brings danger. A police investigation begins, and as Maxim tries to cover up his crime, the walls close in around them.

The tension builds until the novel’s famous ending—Manderley is engulfed in flames, burned to the ground as Maxim and the narrator watch from a distance. It is a haunting, ambiguous conclusion that leaves the reader wondering whether they have truly escaped Rebecca’s influence or if she has had the final revenge from beyond the grave.

What This Chick Thinks

A masterpiece of atmosphere and suspense

Few novels create such an intense, oppressive atmosphere as Rebecca. From the opening lines—where the narrator dreams of returning to Manderley—the book is steeped in a sense of unease. Du Maurier masterfully builds tension with every chapter, keeping the reader constantly questioning what is real and what is imagined.

An unforgettable villain in Mrs. Danvers

There is no ghost in Rebecca, but Mrs. Danvers is the next best thing. She is one of the most chilling, psychologically manipulative characters ever written, a woman so devoted to Rebecca’s memory that she becomes an almost supernatural force of evil. Her control over the narrator, her eerie obsession with Rebecca, and her final act of destruction make her one of the best literary antagonists of all time.

A novel about power and identity

At first glance, Rebecca seems like a gothic romance, but it is much darker and more complex than that. It is a novel about power—who has it, who doesn’t, and how people manipulate it. The narrator is young, naïve, and completely powerless at the beginning, but by the end, she has transformed. She may not be entirely innocent anymore, but she has found a kind of strength.

Rebecca, in contrast, is powerful in death in a way she never was in life. Even though she is long gone, her presence dominates every page, controlling the narrator, Maxim, and everyone in Manderley. She is a character who is never truly seen, yet unforgettable.

A story that lingers long after you finish it

The most haunting thing about Rebecca is how it makes you feel once it’s over. It’s not just a mystery or a thriller—it’s a novel about memory, obsession, and the things we can never quite escape. Long after finishing, the image of Manderley in flames and the ghostly presence of Rebecca will still be with you.

Final Thoughts

Rebecca is a gothic masterpiece—a novel that pulls you into its eerie, unsettling world and doesn’t let go. It’s a book about love and deception, power and vulnerability, and the way the past refuses to stay buried. The writing is lush and immersive, the tension is palpable, and the characters are unforgettable.

If you love slow-burning psychological suspense, this book is a must-read.

Rating: 10/10

Try it if you like

• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë – Another gothic classic featuring a mysterious man, a haunted estate, and a heroine trying to find her place.
• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson – A psychological horror novel that, like Rebecca, creates an atmosphere of deep unease.
• The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell – A modern gothic novel with an eerie, creeping sense of dread that will remind you of Rebecca