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Jamaica Inn
By Daphne du Maurier
Recommended Reading Age: 15 & Up
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By Sandra Miller-Louden
“The coaches avoided Jamaica Inn, hidden in the harsh Cornish moors not far from the coast, for its name was evil…” Yes, there’s enough evil to go around in Jamaica Inn, Daphne du Maurier’s dark romance written in 1935 and set on the Cornish coast, in southwest England.
The year is 1815. Young Mary Yellen, journeying to Jamaica Inn to join her Aunt Patience and her Aunt’s husband, Joss Merlyn, the landlord of the inn, is immediately filled with apprehension at the sight of the desolate, bleak moors surrounding her new home. Once there, she senses the evil swirling around her and knows Merlyn is involved in something wicked. Her aunt, once a beautiful lively woman, has been reduced to a sniveling servant, instantly obeying Merlyn’s every command.
Determined to stay at Jamaica Inn until she can spirit her aunt away from the evil Merlyn, she settles into an uneasy existence, walking the moors by day, locking herself in her room at night. One day, an unexpected visitor comes by the inn and Mary soon finds out he is none other than Jem Merlyn, Joss’s brother. She is immediately torn between her ambivalent feelings toward Jem—attracted to him because he is handsome, yet hating him because she sees in his looks and personality, traces of her uncle.
The ambivalence—this constant pulling in opposite directions—is an important thread running throughout Jamaica Inn. Mary hates what her Aunt Patience has become and scorns the quivering, meek woman; yet understands why she married and was originally attracted to Joss Merlyn, just as she, Mary, is pulled toward Jem. When the evil that her uncle commits is finally revealed to her and she is forced to witness his crimes, the revelation comes at dawn on Christmas Day—a day that’s supposed to be one of peace and hope. The Vicar of the nearby town of Altarnun, who Mary turns to as confidante and friend seems to her to have a hidden side, at once fascinating, yet horrible and mysterious.
There are many different stories, as well, contained in Jamaica Inn. It is a literary forerunner of today’s romance novel. It is a mystery, skillfully and intricately plotted. Above all, though, Jamaica Inn, is a story of the sea. Daphne du Maurier understands the sea and vividly describes it.
The inn itself, Jamaica Inn, still stands today between the towns of Bodmin and Launceston in the West Country of England and is open for dining and overnight stays. (www.jamaicainn.co.uk). It was the inspiration for du Maurier’s novel and retains much of its original flavor and atmosphere.
Jamaica Inn, the novel, is available in paperback through Avon Books or as a library bound edition through Buccaneer Books. Two films were made from the novel; the first in 1939 directed by Alfred Hitchcock and the second in 1985 starring Jane Seymour. Both are available on either tape or DVD.
Daphne du Maurier wrote many gothic novels, among them Rebecca (also directed by Alfred Hitchcock), My Cousin Rachel and Frenchmen’s Creek, all of which were made into successful movies. The Birds (yet another Hitchcock film) is based on a short story of the same name by Daphne du Maurier.
Bud and Andy, the police detectives, are extremely well-developed and even though they act as antagonists throughout the story, you can’t help but love them. P am and Eric add dry humor to almost every situation which leaves me wanting them in more scenes. Basically, this book is well-written, exciting and has awesome character development.
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O'Hare Arpt., IL
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