I read this book because I recently re-read Rebecca for my book group and was reminded of what a great book it is. This book is really quite different. Rebecca was written when Daphne De Maurier was very young (and passionate!) but this one was written much later in life and is more subdued and considered.
It reads very much like the old style sci-fi/horror books like The Time Machine and Frankenstein’s Monster. Its kind of time travel based, although not so much travelling in time as witnessing certain events from a set period in the past and following a particular character and his associations.
A married man is invited to house sit for an old friend and assist him in his studies by trying a potion of his devise. The potion shifts his awareness to this past time and he becomes obsessed with the people he is viewing and addicted to either the potion or the experience to the detriment of his family and himself.
I didn’t love it the way I loved Rebecca, but it was kind of interesting…
