by Rose Tremain
First published 2026
Mrs. Danowski works as housekeeper at Manderville Hall, Lord Grenville-Whithers' mansion on Cornwall's coast. Known as Danni, she carries childhood wounds of isolation and yearns for connection. When novelist Daphne du Maurier visits the estate for lunch, everything changes. Daphne feels drawn to Danni in ways that surprise her. Their attraction grows into secret meetings at the estate's boathouse during Danni's free days. Both women discover a forbidden love that feels beautiful yet dangerous. Danni finds the affection she has always craved, while Daphne explores desires she has kept hidden. Their affair cannot survive in a world that condemns such relationships. When it ends, both must rebuild their lives. Danni searches for her place in a society that offers few options for women like her. Daphne channels their shared experience into her writing, transforming their relationship into the story that becomes Rebecca.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, lesbian-fiction
Vibes: bittersweet, forbidden-love, intimate, lyrical, melancholic
Tropes: class-difference, doomed-love, forbidden-romance, secret-relationship
Setting: Manderville Hall, Cornwall, England
Period: 1930s, 20th century
352 pages · Paperback · RANDOM HOUSE UK
Content warnings: homophobia