My Cousin Rachel - Daphne Du Maurier

I learned this late in 2009...if you ever want a creepy, atmospheric, character-driven piece of literature, you can usually find what you are looking for in a Daphne Du Maurier novel. Probably best known for her short-story The Birds, or her sweeping tale of Manderley in Rebecca, she is a master of suspense and storytelling. This is not the stuff of Stephen King; her art is much more subtle and seems to have a knack for leaving you hanging at the end, asking "wha???".

The story centers on young Phillip Ashley, orphaned at a young age and raised by his beloved older cousin Ambrose. While on vacation in Italy, Ambrose meets a cousin named Rachel, falls in love and gets married, all the while writing to Phillip, providing a detailed account of the whirlwind courtship. Suddenly, the letters become scarce, and start to sound like ravings of a paranoid madman, calling his new wife his tormentor. Concerned, Phillip travels to Italy to visit his cousin, but finds that he has passed away, apparently of a "fever" caused by a brain tumor. Hmm...

A few weeks later, Rachel comes a-callin', under the guise of delivering Ambrose's effects. Phillip is determined to despise her, but just cannot resist her easy manner, her beauty and vulnerability. He falls and he falls hard, acting like a complete lovesick fool, ready to offer Rachel a limb or whatever it takes to win her heart. It is under this disability that Phillip must answer some tough questions. Is he being used? Was Ambrose's death accidental? Just who, exactly, is this Rachel? What are her motives and are they pure? These are questions you will be pondering for days after you've turned the last page.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the plot of this book. In fact, if you have any sense of Du Maurier, it all becomes clear within five or six chapters. Still, this doesn't lessen the fun of the journey. The entire story is narrated by Phillip, who is definitely not without bias. We live inside his heart and breathe all of the emotions that a first love can bring...self-doubt, elation, jealousy, paranoia, depression. It's not long, though, before you begin to question his judgement. This is the thrill of "My Cousin Rachel" really - in figuring out the truth. To me, there is no better exercise for the mind. After finishing this one, you might just feel like you've run a few laps, envigorated and ready for more.

4 out of 5 stars