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My Cousin Rachel is a Gothic novel written by English author Daphne du Maurier, published in 1951. I was sure I wrote a review on this book before and not all that long ago, but since I can't find it, I will write it all over again. It is listed as a mystery-romance, and is 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. She must have spent some time studying this portrait to get an entire novel from it. The novel's narrator is Philip Ashley, a young man who had been orphaned at the early age of seven. He was raised by his bachelor uncle Ambrose, the owner of a large country estate on the Cornish coast. Ambrose is a confirmed bachelor with no interest in marrying, he even taught Philip to have nothing to do with women. Then comes the time he goes to Florence for his health. Why. Why would people have to go somewhere else for their health? Where do people in Florence go for their health? Wouldn't it be better if sick people just to stay home instead of running here and there, to Florence and further? Well, in this book people go to Florence, and take their sickness there. Here he meets Rachel a distant cousin. My cousin Rachel that is, he calls her that in letter after letter until one day falls in love and marries dear cousin Rachel, at least we can drop the my cousin now. Philip awaits for their arrival but it does not happen, he gets a letter, they are extending their trip, then another and another, they are wonderfully happy. But the letters begin to change and have lines to them like this:

"One thought possesses me, leaving me no peace. Are they trying to poison me?"

"She has done for me at last, Rachel my torment."

"Money, God forgive me for saying so, is, at the present time, the only way to her heart."

And so Philip heads to Italy to rescue his uncle but finds out he is too late, his uncle has died. The death certificate says he died of a brain tumor. But we don't believe that do we? And so Philip returns home and before long Rachel shows up there as well. And even though Ambrose made it clear he thought Rachel is the reason for his death, still Philip falls in love with her in about five minutes. I hate when people do that, especially when one of the people falling in love thinks the other person just killed someone.

Then Philip begins to get sick.....

The first chapter, the one leading up to the Rachel story we are told:

"No one will ever guess the burden of blame I carry on my shoulders;" he says, "nor will they know that every day, haunted still by doubt, I ask myself a question which I cannot answer. Was Rachel innocent or guilty? Maybe I shall learn that too, in purgatory."

Now that we have reached the last page can the question be answered, was Rachel innocent or guilty?