My Cousin Rachel

My Cousin Rachel is a novel by the British author Daphne du Maurier, published in 1951 and widely regarded by critics as one of her finest works after Rebecca. The story is narrated in the first person by Philip, a young heir to a Cornish estate. At the age of twenty-four, he learns that his cousin Ambrose—who had lived with him for years and whose health was always frail—has died suddenly in Italy, leaving behind a substantial inheritance, several letters in a chaotic hand, and his recent bride, Rachel, an Italian. Philip is initially hostile, suspecting Rachel of scheming to seize the family fortune, and vows to seek justice for his cousin. Yet when this beautiful, composed, and well-spoken cousin arrives at the estate, his defenses crumble little by little in her presence. He willingly surrenders his fortune, his trust, and his heart, even turning against everyone who tries to warn him. Readers see everything through his ardent, obsessive eyes, and so, like him, cannot distinguish fact from his own imaginings. Set against the landscapes and customs of the Cornish coast, the novel interweaves a brooding Gothic atmosphere with meticulous psychological portraiture, exploring infatuation, possessiveness, jealousy, and dependence in love. The author never gives a definitive answer as to whether Rachel is guilty, and the closing question—“Did she or didn’t she?”—has become a familiar expression of suspense among British readers. This edition is translated by Zhang Chaobin and appears in the Daphne du Maurier Works series and the Dookey Suspense Library.