My Cousin Rachel
First US edition | |
| Author | Daphne du Maurier |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Gothic novel |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz (UK) Doubleday (US) |
Publication date | 1951 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| OCLC | 70160575 |
My Cousin Rachel is a Gothic novel written by English author Daphne du Maurier, published in 1951. Bearing thematic similarities to her earlier and more famous novel Rebecca, it is a mystery-romance, set primarily on a large estate in Cornwall.
The story has its origins in a portrait of Rachel Carew at Antony House in Cornwall, which du Maurier saw and took as inspiration.
The story initially concerns the relationship of the estate owner Ambrose Ashley and his orphaned cousin and ward Philip, who serves as his surrogate son and legal heir. Due to unspecified health problems, Ambrose has the habit of wintering in warmer climates. He sends letters about his experiences there to Philip. Spending the winter in Italy, Ambrose meets his widowed cousin Rachel in Florence. Months later, Ambrose reports that he has married Rachel and that he is extending his stay in Italy indefinitely. His following letters have a paranoid tone of not trusting anyone, while complaining of recurring headaches. Worrying about Ambrose's health, Philip decides to visit him in Florence. He learns that Ambrose died before his arrival. Philip starts a romantic relationship with the widowed Rachel, though he suspects that she poisoned Ambrose. Philip also starts experiencing symptoms of poisoning.