Rebeccas Vermächtnis

The novel “Rebeccas Vermächtnis” (originally Mrs. de Winter) is the authorized sequel to the celebrated Gothic classic “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier. Writer Susan Hill has taken on the thankless and demanding task of breathing new life into characters who have marked world literature, setting the story twelve years after the tragic fire that burned down Manderley Estate.

Maxim de Winter and his unnamed wife have been living in peaceful but dreary exile across Europe for years, trying to forget the past. However, the death of Maxim’s sister Beatrice forces them to return to England. Upon arriving home, they realize that time has not erased old wounds or secrets. Soon, the infamous Mrs. Danvers reappears, obsessed with the memory of the deceased Rebecca, plotting a new revenge. The second Mrs. de Winter once again struggles with a sense of insecurity and the presence of her first wife who, although dead, still controls the destinies of the living.

Susan Hill masterfully emulates the psychological tension, the anxious atmosphere and the distinctive style of Daphne du Maurier. The novel explores themes of guilt, the impossibility of escaping the past and the search for one's own identity under the weight of another's shadow, providing fans of the original with a worthy and emotional sequel to the legendary story.