I'm not a big fan of gothic novels, so I've only read "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier, and that was thanks to Alfred Light our Hitchcock. "The Jamaican Tavern" also made it to my reading list by chance, in search of a book for a marathon with a reference to a diner in the title.
Daphne du Maurier was born on 13 May 1907 at 24 Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park, London, the middle of three daughters of prominent actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and actress Muriel, née Beaumont. In many ways her life resembles a fairy tale. Born into a family with a rich artistic and historical background, her paternal grandfather was author and Punch cartoonist George du Maurier, who created the character of Svengali in the 1894 novel Trilby, and her mother was a maternal niece of journalist, author, and lecturer Comyns Beaumont. She and her sisters were indulged as a children and grew up enjoying enormous freedom from financial and parental restraint. Her elder sister, Angela du Maurier, also became a writer, and her younger sister Jeanne was a painter.
I more or less understand the structure and atmosphere of gothic novels, so there were no surprises here either. Mary Yellan is left all alone after her mother's death and, in accordance with her dying instructions, goes to live with her aunt and her husband. Arriving at the new residence, Mary feels as if after a quiet happy life in the neighborhood of Patriarch's Ponds, she is settled in a single room in the distant Moscow suburbs. There is nothing but wasteland and marshes, zero forests, the nearest neighbors are half a day's walk on the heather, and her new home is a sinister tavern with no customers, but only some dark personalities who visit the place at night. Her newfound uncle will turn out to be a criminal gang leader, her aunt will turn out to be a person who has been bored by life, her new lover will be a rascal, and the priest will be one of those who say that "life used to be better and the grass was greener".
It's a bit of a housewarming party, isn't it? But Mary is only 23 years old, so she is not discouraged and with passion investigates criminal acts of her uncle, reports about them to everyone around her and generally votes for peace in the world. And her cherished dream is to put her uncle behind bars and take her aunt to a peaceful land to live there quietly without stress. And here's the confusing part: after her mother died, Mary sold the farm and everything. Where's the money, Mary? Ideally, they would be enough to realize her cherished dream, but the fate of the money is not known to the reader.
The book is interesting to read from the point of view of the evolution of the role of women in society.
On the one hand, it's the 19th century, women are still considered cooks and mothers, and generally women agree. Mary meets her lover on a walk and he flirts with her, offering to cook him dinner. She goes and cooks, and overall this situation is pretty OK for them. He eats and says, well, at least they taught you something on that farm of yours. And then she'll mop the floor for him. And that's part of the flirting ritual, too, like, "Here I am. Flirting through a gender aptitude test is strong, of course. It reads as strange and unfamiliar as possible. Still, a lot has changed since then (but that's not certain).
On the other hand, Mary is adored by just about every first male in the neighborhood. Because she's young, beautiful, and sharp-tongued. Hot, talkative, tends to be independent, and can fight back in a debate. Men, it turns out, even in the 19th century, don't want a silent slave, but an interesting person. Wow. Still, nothing has changed since then (but it's not certain).
A little more about flirting and flirtation. A woman's love language in the 19th century: mop the floor, cook dinner, show off her talents in a favorable light. A man's love language in the 19th century: buy a brooch, buy a shawl. Beat a woman drunk, hurt her? Buy her another shawl, brighter, preferably red, and more gold earrings. It's as simple as two times two. No Wishlist.
I really liked that the book doesn't have 100% villains. There is something about each antagonist that makes you interested or sympathetic. Even the uncle that Mary hates actually makes her feel pity at times or, oh boy, even some hints of romantic feelings, and Mary realizes that the line between disgust and admiration is so thin as to be scary. Perhaps this is what distinguishes a good mature novel from the rest: it gives us multifaceted characters and allows us to go from unequivocal rejection to sympathy and back again.
I know a lot of people were outraged by the ending. Allegedly, Mary condemned herself to the fate of her unfortunate aunt. But I don't see it that way. She's young and alone. What are her options? Staying with a wealthy family as a servant is not much of an option for a free-spirited person. Going out on her own to earn money - we all remember it's the 19th century, and every weasel wants to drag a young girl into a back alley. So her choice of wandering the world with a wayward lover is quite understandable and probably looks like the best option at the time.
In conclusion, after reading any gothic novel, including this one, you can't help but want to go to the heath. The description of all those mists, marshes, and stark lead-colored beauties is the best advertisement for the English coast.
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