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Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…': 5 romantic thrillers for fans of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca
'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.' Few opening lines in literature are as haunting—or as instantly transporting—as the first sentence of Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier's 1938 masterpiece of gothic suspense. With its brooding atmosphere, psychological tension, and a romance shadowed by secrets, Rebecca continues to hold readers in a thrall. Even Hollywood keeps returning to her stories (Rebecca, The Birds, My Cousin Rachel). If you love Rebecca's intoxicating blend of romance, mystery, and gothic dread, here are five modern novels that will keep you up all night. 1. The Silent Patient – Alex Michaelides A psychological thriller with a haunting love story at its core, The Silent Patient follows Alicia Berenson, a woman who shoots her husband and then refuses to speak. Theo Faber, a forensic psychologist, becomes obsessed with uncovering her motives—but the truth is far more twisted than he could imagine. With its gothic undertones and shocking revelations, this is a perfect read for Rebecca fans who crave obsession and deception. 2. The Wife Between Us – Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen A clever, twisty tale of marriage, jealousy, and revenge, this novel plays with perception in the best way. Is the ex-wife bitter and unstable, or is there something far more sinister lurking beneath the surface of her replacement's picture-perfect life? The shifting narratives and psychological tension make this a gripping companion to Rebecca's themes of jealousy and hidden pasts. 3. Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia For those who adored Rebecca's eerie atmosphere, Mexican Gothic delivers a chilling tale of a woman drawn into a decaying mansion's dark secrets. When Noemí Taboada is sent to check on her ailing cousin, she uncovers a family curse, a seductive yet dangerous husband, and a house that seems alive with malice. Gothic romance meets psychological horror in this intoxicating read. 4. The Death of Mrs Westaway – Ruth Ware A modern gothic mystery dripping with suspense, this novel follows Hal, a struggling tarot reader who receives a mysterious inheritance letter—but the deceased woman may not actually be her grandmother. As Hal infiltrates the eerie Westaway estate, she's drawn into a web of lies, betrayals, and long-buried family secrets. The brooding setting and unreliable characters make this a must-read for Rebecca devotees. 5. The Last Mrs Parrish – Liv Constantine A seductive, cunning thriller about ambition and revenge, this book follows Amber Patterson as she infiltrates the glamorous life of Daphne Parrish—only to discover that perfection comes at a price. With its themes of obsession, manipulation, and the dark side of desire, it's a deliciously wicked read that echoes Rebecca's exploration of jealousy and deception. Honorable Mention: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (if you somehow haven't read it yet!) Which of these will you read first? Let us know in the comments.
The Guardian
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier review
The story of a shy young bride haunted by the spectre of her older husband's first wife, Daphne du Maurier's 1938 masterpiece opens with the immortal line: 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.' Manderley is the ancestral Cornish home of widower Maxim de Winter, whom our nameless narrator first meets in Monte Carlo, where she is employed as a ladies' companion. A brief courtship and marriage follow, with the couple returning to Manderley after their honeymoon. But the flinty, gaslighting housekeeper Mrs Danvers hasn't got over the death of Rebecca, her last mistress, killed in a sailing accident a year earlier, and so she resolves to make the second Mrs de Winter's life a misery. She does this by undermining and humiliating her in front of the servants, and reminding her of her predecessor's effervescence, beauty and ability to run a home. Rebecca is one of several of Du Maurier's books to have been recently rerecorded (others include Jamaica Inn, My Cousin Rachel, Frenchman's Creek and The King's General). For this, her most famous novel, the actor Holliday Grainger is the narrator – her clear, intuitive delivery only occasionally marred by some odd pronunciation, most noticeably when referring the De Winter's dog, Jasper. Rebecca is often called a gothic romance – a perception exacerbated by assorted glossy film adaptations – though Du Maurier viewed it principally as 'a study in jealousy'. This recording taps into the darkness at the heart of the story and the suppressed desires of its protagonists that lead them inexorably towards violence and tragedy. Available from WF Howes, 16hr 34min The Scapegoat: The Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of BuckinghamLucy Hughes-Hallet, 4th Estate, 25hr 42minA vivid portrait of the reviled George Villiers, AKA the Duke of Buckingham, who was lover and adviser to James I. Read by the author. BrothersAlex Van Halen, HarperCollins, 6hr 9min The rock'n'roll drummer narrates his memoir documenting his life, both personal and professional, with his late brother, Eddie.
