My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier, reviewed by Eva Leung
An image of a UK first edition hardback copy of My Cousin Rachel dated 1951
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Suspense
Original Publication: 1951
Orphaned at a young age, 24-year-old Philip Ashley is raised by his cousin Ambrose Ashley as his protégé and heir. When Ambrose goes to Italy to nurse his failing health, he meets and soon marries, their distant cousin, Contessa Rachel Sangaletti. Philip becomes madly jealous of Rachel, and the jealousy soon turns into hatred and suspicion when Ambrose’s letter to Philip suggests that Rachel is trying to poison him.
But when Rachel Ashley finally arrives in Cornwall, Philip’s life is turned upside down.
My Cousin Rachel is the novel that the publishers and the fans of Rebecca anticipated. I usually recommend it to whoever claims they love Rebecca and have never read other works by du Maurier. At 125,000 copies, this was Victor Gollancz’s largest-ever first print run, and within the first three months, it was being reprinted to the tune of a further 25,000 copies.
Like Rebecca, there is the shared theme of jealousy, with the figure of a femme fatale and a mystery at the centre of the novel. But what sets it apart from other thrillers, is the lack of closure announced in the first few pages. The answer to the central question that drives the novel – is Rachel an angel or a devil? – remains ambiguous, and I have reread the book countless times, trying to put the clues together, but the novel continues to frustrate and fascinate. During the past sixty years, it has been made into two movies and a BBC mini-series. I personally think Olivia de Havilland, who played Rachel in the 1952 movie adaptation, is the best actress for the role.
© Eva Leung August 2024.