Not really a book review

Daphne du Maurier’s novels exude magic, and I don’t mean in a Harry Potter kind of way. There is something slightly otherworldly and mysterious about her stories, largely because of the settings. Several of her novels are based in Cornwall, where she lived most of her life, and the ethereal but rugged landscape seems to permeate through the text. My Cousin Rachel, which I have just finished reading, is no exception. From the sun-drenched villa outside of Florence where time seems to stand still, to the dreamlike but surprisingly domestic Cornish estate, the scenery sweeps the reader away in a flood of images and sets the tone for the story.

It’s difficult not to see in Rachel the shadow of du Maurier’s most famous protagonist – Rebecca de Winter. Rachel could easily be dismissed as another femme fatale – manipulating men (in this case the hapless and naïve Philip Ashley) into doing her bidding, pretending she is in love them with them while secretly despising them all. But whereas the plot of Rebecca is designed to slowly uncover the true nature of her character, no such conclusion is possible in My Cousin Rachel. In fact, if you are someone who likes stories to finish unambiguously and tie up all loose ends, this is not the novel for you. Just when you think Rachel’s motivations are about to be uncovered, the final twist in the tale leaves you wondering, just as Philip does, who Rachel really was.

Rebecca has been one of my favourite novels since I first read it years ago, and is one of several books that I will happily re-read again and again with no loss of enjoyment. I even spent ages looking for a second hand copy because, at the time, the paperback version made it look like a Mills and Boon romance! So it was with a little trepidation that I embarked on My Cousin Rachel – no one likes having their illusions shattered. Thankfully the story is just as entrancing and Rachel is as fascinating as, and even more complex than, her counterpart. Just when you think you have her figured out she slips through your fingers like smoke. Like all the characters in the story, I think I am a little bewitched by the elusive Rachel.  I may have to go searching through the second hand bookshops to find a copy to match the version of Rebecca on my shelves.