Review: My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
I’ve decided on a whim to try and read all of du Maurier’s work. I’ve only ever read Rebecca, before this one, and I really enjoyed it. So I decided it was time to get going on some more of the author’s works.
“My Cousin Rachel” is the story of a young man, Philip, raised by his bachelor uncle. They live a bachelor life on the uncle’s estate, which Philip is set to inherit . They are both pretty content with this way of life and see no reason to change it. The uncle, Ambrose, goes to Italy to nurse some sort of affliction and Philip stays home to tend to the estate. Then he gets a letter from Ambrose, stating that the latter is married, but he since he isn't feeling well, he is postponing his return and staying in Italy for another season. Philip then gets a frenzied letter from Ambrose urging him to come to Italy immediately. Philip does so, but is too late. Ambrose is dead.
From then on we follow Philip’s inner journey from anger with the unknown wife to being head over heels in love with her, to then suspecting her of foul play.
I feel like this book tried to recreate that eerie feeling of “Rebecca”, but for me it missed the mark. There were certainly periods when the atmosphere would succeed in becoming eerie and unsettling, but these periods were few and far between. I spent most of the book cringing at how juvenile and immature Philip was most of the time.
I gave this book 3 stars out of 5 and I certainly hope my next du Maurier lives up to my expectations set so high by “Rebecca”.
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