My Cousin Rachel - Daphne du Maurier

 

This is my third du Maurier and another winner with me! This book has a male protagonist as opposed to the female leads in other du Maurier novels I’ve read, and it was nice to see this change of perspective. ⠀

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Our protagonist, Philip Ashley, was orphaned at a young age and lives with his cousin Ambrose on Ambrose’s lavish estate. His cousin is unmarried and without children, somewhat of a bachelor, and it is agreed between them that Philip will inherit the estate and act as Ambrose’s heir.⠀

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The pair live a simple life together and want for nothing. Ambrose embarks on a trip each winter to the continent and one year he sets off, with the promise of return in the spring, yet he does not return. Philip receives rushed letters detailing his chance meeting with their cousin, Rachel, and the friendship between this mysterious woman and Ambrose takes a swift turn into marriage. As a man who has never expressed interest in matrimony, Ambrose’s sudden actions are completely out of character.⠀

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Months pass and the lonely Philip, longing for his cousin’s return, receives word that Ambrose has suddenly died. Rushing to Italy for answers, he finds Ambrose’s widow gone and returns home dejected. It is not long before Rachel appears on Philip’s doorstep, and Philip is filled with hatred for this woman who captivated and stole his cousin away, and blames her for the untimely death. ⠀

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Rachel, in fact, turns out to be completely charming. Too charming - dangerously charming. Philip soon finds himself entangled in her web of beauty and gaiety, and begins acting in ways he would never have done before. Yet a question still haunts him in the depths of his mind - how did Ambrose really die, and was Rachel in on it? ⠀

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This book, in true du Maurier style, captures the brooding and mysterious atmosphere of Rebecca perfectly. I loved reading a male protagonist of hers, and her scenery is splendid - a grand house left to ruin, unwelcoming landscapes beyond... what more could you ask for? This book is a little more slow-burning than the other two novels I’ve read by the author, and in this instance it works!