In a Mystery Mood

In my corner of the world today the weather is dark, rainy, and cold. Perfect day to read a mystery!



photo courtsey mooncross



From Facebook’s Top 100 Books based on the BBC’s The Big Read (know here as The List) our novel is Rebecca, by Daphne duMaurier.

In the opening scene the narrator describes a dream of an abandoned estate. This beloved house is closed to the world, overgrown and decaying. Why would the narrator love this house? Why has it been left to ruin?

I certainly felt like an explorer of a lonely, desolate house as I made my way through this story. The novel opens with the young, sheltered narrator (we are never told her name; that part of her identity is hidden) working as a paid companion to a rich, overbearing woman traveling through Europe. While in Monte Carlo, they meet Maxim, a much older widower, whose first marriage ended under a mysterious cloud.

During their stay in Monte Carlo, the narrator and Maxim fall in love. They marry and return to live at Manderlay, Maxim’s English estate. There the narrator learns of Maxim’s first wife, Rebecca, and the mark she left on the house, the servants, and the surrounding area.

Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper of Manderlay, rules the house, grounds and other household staff. She is a bitter woman, hidden by grief and loyality to the first mistress of the house.

As the narrator adjusts to married life, she is frustrated in her love for Maxim. He refuses to discuss Rebecca; he is a man hiding from sadness, anger, and regret.

While exploring the estate one afternoon, the narrator discovers a beach house, closed up and forgotten. Maxim forbids her from using cottage; this place also conceals questions and tragedy.

As you walk with the narrator through the life and death of Rebecca be prepared for surprises and plot twists. Lovers of Alfred Hitchcock mysteries will especially enjoy this story. (Hitchcock did make a movie of the story, but please read the book first!)

True confessions: I had never heard of this novel before The List. Now it’s one of my Top Ten (so far).

Have you read this one? What do you think of the author’s use of flashbacks to tell the story?

I’m always in the mood to explore stories that are overlooked or abandoned. Is there a lesser known book that is a favorite of yours?