Jamaica Inn was falling apart in my hands as I read it. The covers are starched, any single fragile fold to the covers will break it, like cardboard — and the book was falling into pieces. I was in the race of time somewhat to read the book before it destroys itself — and I don’t treat my books nicely.
The last Du Maurier book I read was Rebecca, which really became one of my favourite books. I loved how Du Maurier writes, with long cutting sentences and clarity of plot. Beneath the beautiful writing are strong, interesting characters with convincing motivations and contradictions. I got more of the same in Jamaica Inn. There are only a handful of characters here, but they are stone cold tangible.
I admire the inner strength of Mary Yellan, which reminded me of the nameless narrator in Rebecca. She is a simple person with intelligence and purpose with a lot of grit thrown in. Mary Yellan is a frikkin badass. She stands up to her deadweight uncle, she’s suicidally curious and she does whatever the fuck she wants. It’d very hard not to like her.
Mary Yellan turns the concept of femininity on its head — a country girl — an independent farmer. Regardless of her stature, she’s willing to put up a fight with her antagonisers. She aims to protect her remaining family, and does everything she could to get the job done. Although she feels fear, she’s got more balls than all the wrecking crew put together.
But all the characters surrounding Mary are all enigmatic. Joss Merlyn, the bastard uncle who’s trying to make life most miserable to his wife, Mary’s aunt; his brother Jem Merlyn, rough on the edges but charismatic and Francis Davey, the albino priest.
Terrible things happen in Jamaica Inn — a storage transit for the wreckers, who’d guide ships to the rocks, kill its survivors and loot whatever is washed ashore. There is something brutal and base in this beautiful writing that makes the events unfolding in the book even more shocking. The wreckers are selfish men, willing to murder for a farthing, but cannot think for themselves. In this light, Joss Merlyn makes a convincing leader.
It is hard to speak for the other characters without revealing too much of the plot. What I can say is that Jamaica Inn follows the same intensity as Rebecca — Du Maurier is a master of unfolding the storyline so that the intensity goes to 11. The last act of the novel reads like an adventure novel.
I will look for more Du Maurier’s books now. She’s surprised me again with Jamaica Inn. It is not as highly rated as Rebecca in Goodreads, but who cares? Go in with no expectation, and just enjoy the prose.
