Jamaica Inn by Du Maurier, the QUEEN of modern gothic.

"Death had come upon the house tonight, and its brooding spirit still hovered in the air. She felt now that this is what Jamaica Inn had always waited for and feared."

I've been revisiting books published during the interwar period by female authors for my master's thesis. For those of you unaware of this time period, the early 1900s produced some fantastic literature from popular fiction to high literature, though it is often overlooked in favour of canonical authors. Du Maurier is one of these authors. There is little scholarship surrounding her works, despite the popularity of Rebecca, though I'm hoping to change that.

I was drawn to Jamaica Inn because of its title while perusing the shelves in a local bookshop. I had expectations of conservatism and courtly rituals. However, contrary to what I thought, Du Maurier's book is subversive, dark, and thrilling, and most importantly for a modern reader, cleanly written so that I didn't need to pull out a dictionary for every sentence. It showcases some progressive ideals that are not commonly associated with the time period of publication.

Jamaica Inn is an intelligent and captivating novel with a strong female protagonist. Du Maurier's novel is a slow-burn thriller and gothic adventure. To give a quick summary, the novel opens on Mary Yellen's journey across the country to Cornwall following the death of her mother, to where her Aunt Patience lives in Jamaica Inn. Jamaica Inn is described as a cold and crooked place featuring locked doors and dark secrets. It is a place notorious for revelry, and its frequent ill-reputed visitors. The owner, Joss Merlyn (Mary's uncle), is a wolfish and volatile man with a penchant for drink and violence.

Mary struggles with the relationship between her aunt and uncle, stuck between fear and horror at her aunt's timid behaviour. Equally, Mary finds herself unwillingly drawn to Jem Merlyn, Josh's brother, who is as blunt and capable of violence as her uncle. Herein lies the conflict of the novel, Mary is unable to identify friends from enemies. Every character is duplicitous and complex, such as Francis Davey, the vicar in a nearby village who befriends Mary. Francis embodies an uncanniness; he is simultaneously attractively kind and unsettling. During the course of the novel, Mary delves deeper into the Cornish landscape and the cleverly criminal network established and discovers a horrific operation at the coast that makes murders of men.

This book falls into so many categories. It deserves more readers and more attention. For those of you wanting to lose yourself for a few hours, this is a perfect read.