The House on the Strand

I have always been a fan of Daphne Du Maurier, so when I discovered 'The House on the Strand' it was almost impossible for me to resist. It was quite an interesting read for many reasons, one of them being that this book was one her later works. I am a big fan of her earlier novels like 'Rebecca' - the ones written in the late 1930s- so to see how she had adapted her writing style in order to present the character of Dick more realistically (as a middle aged man alive in the 60s) was quite amazing,

the house on the strabd

I am an avid believer that Du Maurier is possible one of the most talented 20th century novelists and her work with this book definitely doesn't prove otherwise. What I found most remarkable was her ability to sprinkle the contextual casual sexist opinions of the main character without making it too overbearing. Despite his remarks about the ideal wife ("You could do what other wives do, adapt") I found it difficult to dislike Dick. Perhaps this was due to him being a grounded and relatable character- increasing my sense of pathos when his life is affected badly about three-quarters through the novel.

But this personal relationship between him and the reader can cause some frustration when he repeadedly seems to remind us of his flawed humanity and his tendency towards addiction. He doesn't appear to shy away from dangerous situations which creates a juxtaposition between his current (rather average and slowly meandering) life and the life which he experiences within his hallucinations.

As I feel that it would be useless to rattle off a plot summary when it really wouldnt do the novel justice, I will say that Dick is introduced to an interesting hallucinogen that transports him back in time thanks to his professor friend Magnus.

Although I found following the accounts of his hallucinations slightly harder than the rest of the story, I did find it interesting that Du Maurier repeatedly uses the pronoun 'us' when she recounts Dicks first hand experiences with the historical figures - despite the fact they are unaware of his existence. This offers a sort of inclusiveness for Dick which is reflected onto the readers and definitely made me feel more involved in the plot as though I myself was transported to the time that he was.

Although I wouldn't necessarily add this novel to a list that

I would recommend people to read before they die, I do believe that it possesses some interesting literary techniques that represent the characters and the themes effectively

m xx