Due to my great fondness of Daphne du Maurier and her romantic suspense novel Rebecca, I decided to read another novel of hers, entitled My Cousin Rachel. My first impression of the novel was a review from the New York Times highlighted on the front cover, stating that “[f]rom the first page…the reader is back in the moody, brooding atmosphere of Rebecca.” This was exactly where I wished to be, which made me even more excited to begin reading.
As opposed to Rebecca, which is narrated by a woman, this novel is narrated by a man named Philip Ashley. He is wealthy, lives on an estate in England, and has recently lost a loved one, similarly to Rebecca’s Maxim de Winter. However, unlike Maxim, Philip’s deceased loved one is his cousin, Ambrose, who has left behind a widow, a countess named Rachel.
Initially, Philip despises Rachel, as the only information he knows about her is based on letters Ambrose sent before his death, which include accusations such as “She has done for me at last, Rachel my torment,” (Chapter 3, pg. 31). Click here to hear a recording of a section of the letter Ambrose sent to Philip.
Soon, Philip receives word from Rachel that she is traveling to his estate to return Ambrose’s belongings. Much to his chagrin, Philip feels he must be hospitable and invite Rachel to stay at the estate for a short while. However, once he gets to know Rachel, he realizes she is a kind, gentle person, not at all the evil woman Ambrose described her as.
Inevitably, Philip falls in love with her and decides to give her an allowance of money, since she was left nothing in Ambrose’s will. While Philip mainly portrays her positively in his narration, other characters bring Rachel’s flaws to Philip’s attention, such as the fact that she is using more money than Philip has allotted her and sending it to a mysterious man in Florence whom Philip distrusts. Philip’s infatuation with Rachel prevents him from seeing the mere existence of her negative side, but the reader is not affected in the same way and cannot help but wonder what Rachel’s true intentions are. Because of this, My Cousin Rachel can be considered a thought experiment, a story that presents a question with many possible answers.
Coincidentally, last year I wrote several blog posts for English class about thought experiments, mainly in Frank Stockton’s short story “The Lady or the Tiger?” In that story, the thought experiment concerned a princess who was forced to choose her lover’s fate: should he be killed by a tiger or be forced to marry another woman? My Cousin Rachel’s thought experiment was similar in that it involved a woman, Rachel, potentially causing the death of Ambrose and the mysterious illness of Philip, and the answer is never exposed by the author. The Lady or the Tiger? ends abruptly without the narrator revealing the princess’s choice, and My Cousin Rachel ends with Rachel dying before Philip can interrogate her to discover the truth. I find thought experiments to be very thought-provoking and conducive to discussion (yes, I plan on recommending this book to Hewitt’s Upper School book club, as I did with Rebecca!).
I highly encourage you to read My Cousin Rachel (as well as The Lady or the Tiger? and Rebecca, if you have not already done so!) and reflect on an answer to the thought experiment posed throughout the novel.