From the moment that the novel begins with the aging Manderley, to experiencing the present of our MC, to finding the reader meandering into the MC's past through her aging memory. The MC's memory paints a vivid picture of what happened that fateful summer she came to live as Lady of Manderley. To make things even more outside the box, the MC of Rebecca is never named. The reader only ever learns that her name is uncommon for the times, but it is never revealed. She is only ever referred to as Mrs. de Winter, once married. While this seems odd, it actually adds to the story. Her namelessness pulls the reader into her role, makes her extremely sympathetic, and creates a tension that feeds into the readers anxiety. Her role in the narrative is simply to relay facts and memories, Rebecca is the one who is still so lifelike, her presence in death more powerful than the MC's presence in life. She overshadows the MC, and the reader often wonders if it is not the MC that is the ghost lurking on the estate. The MC is alone in the world, she relies solely on Maxim; she feels inadequate, lost, in competition with a dead woman, and alone. She is not wrong to feel that way when nothing at Manderley has really altered since the death of Rebecca, she simply seems to have stuffed herself uncomfortably into a role she does not fit. The writing in this novel is atmospheric, poetic and beautiful. The descriptions suck you in to the world of Manderley, the grandeur, the grounds, the loyal staff, the lapping of the ocean, the sounds, the smells, etc. Sometimes I found the descriptions overly long, but generally the tone is haunting. Manderley is a major character, from the changing of the grounds during their stay, the weather mimicking the behaviour of Maxim and the MC, all of it adds to the mood and the story development. While the MC is sympathetic, Maxim becomes more and more problematic. He uses the MC to forget his past, but he does not consider her emotions or her safety. He blames her easily for things she has no way of knowing, trying very little to comfort or understand her uncertainty of living at Manderley and learning her new role. It was very hard to connect with Maxim; in fact, for most of the story I was angry with him. His view of the MC from the beginning was as an object, at first she was a child to be coddled, whom he loved because she was so different from Rebecca, then as a woman she was meant to be subdued, to be controlled and brought in line. He used her love for him to his own ends. I also enjoyed the subtle implication of what was happening to the class system in Britain at the time. The class system was shifting, and the death of Rebecca was like the death of high society. Now we have the MC, a lady's companion (a literal nobody with no family), marrying a high society man with an estate, wealth and power. There are mentions of vacationers, who appear to be middle class society, and talks of row houses being built and estates becoming things of the past. A nameless MC is a perfect representation of the middle/lower class claiming this new space. I cannot give too much away about Rebecca, but what a turn of events. Very interesting and nerve wracking story from beginning to end. A look at how women and men are viewed within society, men often getting away with a lot more than women. I highly recommend this novel, it is a classic for a reason. From a gothic romance outset, to a thriller, and finally an honest look at society, class structure, the role of men and women, and loneliness.
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