A review by vonaegir
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

a gothic, foreboding tale with twists you see coming in the best way possible. despite knowing what to expect due to this book's existence in the cultural milieu, i was still steeped in dread and on the edge of my seat with every chapter. in my opinion, the best way to read this story is to question everything, right until the very end. what ultimately makes this novel five stars for me is the way it stays with you afterwards, how you stew in the possibilities and complex picture presented once you've turned the last page. this is a book that begs you to question the information presented to you, both by the narrator and by the people she interacts with. 

personally, i think the question that will stay with me is, of course, about the titular rebecca. namely, was she as monstrous as we are lead to believe by the end? to me, the staying power of this story is in the absence of a clear answer to that question, among many others.
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