Book Review: "Castle Dor" by Daphne Du Maurier

Daphne Du Maurier's novels are best known for scaring the pants off of those who read them. But she's much more than a horror extraordinaire, she's also a woman who can write a terribly upsetting story. Castle Dor is not a horror novel - instead it is one of those books where you recognise what's happening and you just hope what you think is going to happen doesn't. Based on the tale of Tristan and Isolde, Daphne Du Maurier's modern re-enactment captures the fateful atmosphere of the original tale perfectly.

If you want to check out some more of my reviews on Daphne Du Maurier's novels, they are attached here:

So let's begin...

The story begins with a frame narrative in which a doctor witnesses the birth of a little girl. You'd think a man of science to be someone who is rational and without much feeling - especially in the more modern era in comparison to the Medieval era in which the tale was originally written. But it's like a strange thunderstorm far away - he seems to be able to sense that this child is not just special but that her fate will be forever tied to the land in which she lives. Her fate will be coated in a strange hue of darkness from the moment of her birth onwards. Daphne Du Maurier definitely makes us sense that there's something here that connects to the original tale - it is no secret, no suggestion and it even says so on the back of the book. From the beginning, you know where this is heading, don't you?

When the child (Linnet) is grown up, she marries an older man who is abusive and controlling who barely loves her at all. He's stern but the point is that he is wealthy, he has a good grounding for Linnet to live even though she spends most of her days miserable. It is then she meets 'the onion seller' named Amyot. He is travelling through Cornwall and from then on they are both drawn to each other. It's actually our doctor from the first part of the story that recognises that they are basically playing out the myth of Tristan and Isolde step by step, and if every detail is going to be the same then we only have to wait for massive tragedy to strike. Daphne Du Maurier's writing of this in such a way that the characters around the couple recognise the link is definitely different as many authors want it to be a joke between the author and reader. This time the characters are involved and they are powerless to do anything about it.

As the story continues, it becomes clear that Linnet's husband is on their heels, he knows about the affair which forces the lovers to try and escape his eyes. Honestly, I was surprised as well at how much it lined up with the original myth and story. And of course, it ends up in the exact same way as the original myth (if you're interested then read it, I'm not telling you and no, it's not a Romeo and Juliet thing). Daphne Du Maurier cannot stop herself from becoming morose in prose and melancholic in atmosphere in the same way that she presents her books Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel and others. Even if you didn't know it was written by her because of the subject matter being more romantic than uncomfortable and uneasy, just by the writing style alone you would know it was her. It has an air of darkness that begins to fall over the book from the castle where the doctor witnesses the birth of a female child all the way to the tragic end.

It probably wasn't my favourite Du Maurier but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I didn't know it was a romance novel at heart when I first got it. I was genuinely surprised that I was so interested in it, but it is based on a folktale so really, who can blame me? Anyways, if you want to read something slightly different by such a fantastic author then can I recommend that this is where you turn? It was definitely intriguing.