Whenever I look up Gothic book rec lists, I see Daphne du Maurier. Usually the lists point to Rebecca, but do you have any idea how long the hold list for the Rebecca audiobook is? Very long. In the meanwhile, I saw no reason to neglect visiting Jamaica Inn. 

Mary Yellan and her mother’s farming life is hard work, and not without its hardships, but ultimately provides a comfortable life and financial independence. The only real difficulty is that their farm is a two woman job. When Mary’s mother dies unexpectedly, Mary must either marry one of the annoying village boys…or sell the farm and seek out her Aunt Patience. Rather than marry someone she has no feelings for, Mary packs her things and sets off for the titular Jamaica Inn, which her aunt and uncle own. When Mary arrives at her the establishment, she realizes her mistake. The Inn is cursed and lorded over by the domineering, violently alcoholic Uncle Joss Merlyn. It’s going to take all of Mary’s strength and cunning to solve the mystery of Jamaica Inn and save her aunt from Joss. And then some! 

Many reviews compare Jamaica Inn to Rebecca, but that’s like comparing oranges to tangerines. Both books belong in the Gothic genre, but where Rebecca is psychological spookiness, Jamaica Inn is a more straightforward Gothic adventure. Mary is a spitfire of a protagonist, and I love her to bits. In the face of cruelty, she took no shit—but also grew kinder. Her compassion for her aunt was marvelous. One unexpected character trait was frequent complaining about gender. Mary chafes at the constraints patriarchy places on women. Her protests are frequent and gain a certain intensity that I wonder if Mary is a trans man and wants to be viewed as a man. Sometimes, when she ranted about Joss, I wanted to tell her…you can stab him. You’re already holding the knife. Women tend to get less severe prison sentences. Do it. You could be the single redeemable male character in this book. This story is ripe for some trans man!Mary fanfic. 

Moving on from characters, Jamaica Inn has plenty what I consider an important hallmark of the Gothic genre: unabashed roasting of Victorian architecture. I felt a little bad because Jamaica Inn still exists. Du Maurier’s stay there inspired the book. This novel provides the opposite of a glowing review of the tavern. More seriously, du Maurier doesn’t skimp on the atmospheric damp and loneliness of the moors. Love is an unavoidable curse in the world of Jamaica Inn, as sinister and melancholic as the setting. 

Jamaica Inn is a solid spooky adventure with a protagonist you’ll root for even after the final page.