My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in making Philip his heir, knowing he will treasure his beautiful Cornish estate. But Philip’s world is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries – and then dies suddenly in suspicious circumstances.

Before long, the new widow – Philip’s cousin Rachel – arrives in England. Despite himself, Philip is drawn to this beautiful, mysterious woman. But could she have masterminded Ambrose’s death?

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Since reading Rebecca, I’m slowly working my way through the works of Daphne du Maurier.  I read and enjoyed Jamaica Inn last year, and now it’s the turn of My Cousin Rachel.  In no particular order, I have my eye on Frenchman’s Creek, The Scapegoat, and The Birds and Other Stories next, but I’d welcome any recommendations you might have.

Upon starting the novel, I immediately felt sympathetic towards Philip.  His parents died when he was a child, and he has been brought up by his cousin, Ambrose, wanting for nothing in that time.  To then lose the person who has been a father, a brother, and a friend to him leaves him feeling absolutely devastated.  It’s made worse by the circumstances.  Ambrose was travelling abroad for winter on his doctor’s orders and, despite being a confirmed bachelor, married at short notice before falling ill.  It looks suspicious, particularly with some of the correspondence Philip receives during Ambrose’s illness becoming increasingly disturbed.

While I liked Philip as a character, I did find him to be both arrogant and naïve.  He is extremely confident in his opinions, but doesn’t necessarily have much to base them on.  I also found him oblivious at times, failing to see what is plain to all those around him, and indeed to the reader.  I liked his determination to understand the truth surrounding Ambrose’s death, made somewhat easier by Rachel’s arrival in England.  Yet despite his intentions to make her life difficult, he becomes – as do all who meet her – increasingly charmed by this beguiling woman and soon thinks of little else.  

Part of my joy in this novel was puzzling over Rachel’s intentions.  She arrives in England to return Ambrose’s belongings to Philip thinking, quite rightly, that he might want some memento of his late cousin.  She makes no claim on Ambrose’s estate, despite having been his wife and having a copy of a draft copy of Ambrose’s will – never signed – indicating his intention to make her a beneficiary alongside Philip.  She seems entirely selfless in her actions, and, dressed in mourning for Ambrose, comes across sympathetically.  And yet.  There are some rumours that plant a seed of doubt in the reader’s mind and made me wonder if she was playing a long game, and doing so very well.  I think that du Maurier does brilliantly to paint her sympathetically whilst still leaving room for doubt over her character and motive.

It can be hard to know what an author intends when they write their novel, and no guarantee that the reader interprets it in the same way, but I like to think that du Maurier had some fun with gender stereotypes in writing My Cousin Rachel.  Philip, and Ambrose before him, is of the opinion that women are emotional, frivolous, and prone to hysterics.  Set when it is, Philip and Ambrose are far from unique in this, although with neither having any intention of marrying, it feels like they’ve taken it to extremes.  Rachel very quickly proves to be more than Philip expects, breaking through his defences and becoming increasingly important in his life after her arrival in England.  I like to think that du Maurier was illustrating the way in which women were (are?) so often underestimated.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I liked My Cousin Rachel more than Rebecca although it shares the same gothic undertones and is thematically similar.  I found its subtlety compelling, and I enjoyed the mystery surrounding Rachel and her intentions. Recommended.