Rebecca, a novel written by the British author Daphne du Maurier was published in 1938. It was an instant success and made du Maurier one of the most popular authors.
Plot Summary
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." This is the opening line of the novel and from here the narrator summons up her past. We get to witness her transition into womanhood. She works as a companion to a rich American woman and when she was vacationing in French Riviera, she meets a wealthy businessman Maximilian de Winter and after few days of being intimate with him, they decide to get married. They go to his mansion, Manderley after getting married.
After arriving at Manderley, she comes to know about her husband's first wife, Rebecca. Rebecca was drowned in the sea coast next to the mansion an year ago but the people in the mansion still remembers her and she has a strong hold on the memory of the people living in the mansion. Mrs. Danvers is a housekeeper in the mansion and she memorizes Rebecca the most.
Mrs. Danvers was very devoted to Rebecca when the latter was alive and she constantly chips away at the second Mrs. de Winter saying that she doesn't possess the charm of Rebecca. Whenever the narrator attempts something, Mrs. Danvers is quick at saying that Rebecca could have done it better or Rebecca did it better. The narrator just starts to follow the housekeeper's advices.
The narrator starts to lack self-confidence and gets confused with her new life. She gets convinced that she is not a perfect match to Maxim and thinks that he is still in love with his first wife Rebecca, who seems very perfect. The time comes for Manderley's annual costume ball and Mrs. Danvers convinces the narrator to wear a costume which was worn by Rebecca the previous year.
A series of unexpected events force Maxim to tell the narrator about Rebecca. He tells her how adulterous Rebecca was and says that she had a series of love affairs with different men. Rebecca got pregnant with other man and threatened Maxim with the responsibility of the child. The hatred in him forced him to kill Rebecca and disposed her body in a boat and let it sink in the sea. The narrator feels happy that her husband didn't love Rebecca. Upon investigation regarding Rebecca's death, everyone comes to a verdict that it was a suicide after the boat is discovered to have holes in it which caused the drowning. But Rebecca's cousin Jack claims that Maxim killed her and starts blackmailing him.
It is also revealed that Rebecca had an appointment with a doctor shortly before her death and everyone thinks that the appointment resulted in the news confirming her pregnancy. But later the doctor reveals that Rebecca was suffering from cancer before dying and that she could never have become a pregnant. This implies that Rebecca willingly lied to Maxim to avoid him getting heart broken.
After knowing the truth, Mr. and Mrs. de Winter return to Manderley and finds the estate in flames. Since Mrs. Danvers disappears, she is supposed to be the one who set the mansion on fire. To avoid the local gossip, they go for a holiday on an advice from a local officer.
It is a good novel and the true nature of Rebecca comes as a shock to the reader as everyone is convinced that she was a bad lady. Rebecca is still known as one of the most remembered and misunderstood characters.
