I’m not a fan of time-travel fiction. I’ve read some as a young adult, but have long ago given up. So, I was of two minds about reading The House on the Strand. A few years ago, I was disappointed with one of her works, and I didn’t read her thereafter. The need to read her again and the enthusiasm some of my GR friends have shown for this book made me decide to read the book, but with caution. I needn’t have worried. From the word “go”, I was hooked.
This is no ordinary time-travelling book. I soon realized that. The protagonist, Richard (Dick) Young, doesn’t travel in time physically but only mentally, and that was what fascinated me. Dick is induced by a drug to travel six centuries back in time through his mind to the 14th century, where he witnesses a dark period, full of political and personal intrigues of British history. He becomes interested in the people of the past and mentally entangles himself with their lives. This interest slowly becomes an obsession. And the more he travels to the past, the more the drug takes possession of him, affecting his faculties. Dick’s dilemma at having to live in two different worlds-the present and the past-as the two merge into one creates havoc in his life. Du Maurier, with her intense and powerful writing, exposes a man at the mercy of a stimulant.
The theme of time-travelling with the aid of a drug calls for a deeper dialogue about the dangers of using stimulants. Dick tries the drug at first as an experiment for his professor friend, Magnus Lane. But slowly, he becomes addicted because of what it does for him. It takes him to a time past, to another world, escaping from present-day realities. Escapism is the main reason why people use stimulants, and Daphne du Maurier explores the dangers of using stimulants as a means of escaping from real life. The consequences are far greater than the temporary satisfaction the stimulant provides. There are so many today who resort to various stimulants for numerous illnesses. Although they may be necessary in a medical sense, they can also harm the individuals who use them. The most unfortunate thing is that the doctor’s role is inadequate to prevent harm in such cases, as we see what happens to Dick. Despite the doctor’s care and caution, Dick outsmarts him to his detriment. The story is a good exhibition of addiction to stimulants and the difficulties in treating the addiction.
Daphne du Maurier writes the story with a powerful intensity that the novel is a page-turner. The story flows smoothly, transporting the readers to the setting in Cornwall. The beauty is that, through du Maurier’s pen, the setting also becomes a character that holds the readers’ fascination. It was a very exciting and intriguing read. I was so surprised to learn that The House on the Strand is a lesser-known work of Daphne du Maurier, because in my opinion, it should be recognized as equal to her other, more famous novels.
Rating: 4/5
