Book Review: The Housekeeper by Rose Tremain

'Daphne du Maurier stole my life' proclaims the central character of Rose Tremain’s latest novel, The Housekeeper. Mrs Danowski, known affectionately as Danni, is the housekeeper of Manderville Hall on the coast of Cornwall. When Daphne du Maurier visits in search of inspiration for her latest novel – which fans of the novelist will know to be the bestseller, Rebecca – she draws Danni into a secret and intense affair.

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When Daphne’s novel publishes to great success though, Danni discovers herself transformed into the jealous Mrs Danvers. Seeking an outlet for her pain and heartbreak, she decides to tell her own story… the story of The Housekeeper in this tale of class, power, and betrayal.

A tale of forbidden queer love and lust, this new piece of historical fiction draws from du Maurier’s own real-life queerness, having had many significant relationships with women, but creates an intriguing fictionalised tale. Rose Tremain’s novel invents an intoxicating story of how a great novel came into being with many references to Rebecca woven through the plot.

Although Tremain has seemingly written about sexuality and gender successfully in previous works, it felt quite clear that The Housekeeper was not written by a queer woman. Despite offering many very intimate moments, the relationship felt lacking of the slow-burning Sapphic yearning that is so quintessential to WLW depictions.

“What you and I share is anathema in the minds of men. They cannot believe it even exists – eroticism between women.”

Paying homage to du Maurier’s acclaimed novel Rebecca, it is clear how much research Tremain has done, not just into Daphne du Maurier’s life and writing but also into the Jewish pre-war experience to inform the character of Danni. The Housekeeper could, however, have benefitted from some tighter editing to make for a sharper, pacier read.

Ultimately, Rose Tremain’s The Housekeeper is an interesting take on Daphne du Maurier’s classic, Rebecca, allowing the queer sub-text of the original work to come to the surface.