A review by juju109
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wowie zowie. What a treat! The atmosphere is unreal, suspense kills you by the point you reach the halfway mark. And then, it keeps you on your toes some more. In awe of such mysterious and atmospherical writing. You also get character study on the main character (who bears no first name by the way, only Rebecca can have one). She evolves throughout the story, rising to the occasion though she is set up as young and useless for a big chunk of the novel. With first person narration you get a thorough glimpse of her psyche. Her anxiety (especially social anxiety) felt relatable and well described, I thought the way one sees oneself (negatively) and exagerates their defaults was spot on. The discussion of class was also welcome. 
Great twists and when you think it’s over it’s not, all the way to the end. Really, hat’s off to Daphné du Maurier. Excited to watch the adaptation by Hitchcock (1940) and the most recent one produced by Netflix (out of curiosity though I expect it won’t be nearly as good as Hitchcock’s). Unequivocally 5/5 read.  
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