The House on the Strand

I like time travel books and will go out of my way to seek out a good one. In this novel, the author uses an unusual device for moving the hero around in time -- a potion that he drinks takes him to a time where he seems to have emotional connections with the people he meets.

While he is walking about in the past, in this case the Middle Ages, he is unseen by the people of the time. And in another interesting twist, while his mind is firmly experiencing past events, his body remains in the present, walking around the same terrain that his mind is exploring in the past. This means that his body can encounter present physical barriers that did not exist in the past, and vice versa. That makes for some oddly humorous, as well as dangerous scrapes for the hero. He is routinely injured, and one of his friends actually dies during time travel when he walks into a moving freight train.

This time travel device used by Du Maurier reminded me of the technique empolyed by Carl Sagan in his novel, Contact. Bear with me here, because this similarity is not as far-fetched as it might seem at first. In Sagan's book, the heroine travels through space/time to meet aliens, even though it looks to observers on the ground as though she went nowhere. Her body remains in the spacecraft, but somehow her mind makes the journey solo. This is essentially the same device used in the House on the Strand, although the latter has additional nice touches, such as a bond between the characters of both centuries and the land on which they live.

Overall, this is a very good adventure with a moral undercurrent that is subtle and resists being too "in-your-face" preachy. For me, that underlying message has to do with being present for one's life and resisting the impulse to spend too much time living in your head, regardless of how compelling you might find your own thoughts.

Imagine that after ingesting a simple chemical liquid, your brain somehow connects the genetic memory it has inherited and suppressed with the actual reality experienced by your ancestors. The result, as Dick Young, narrator of "the House on the Strand" discovers, catapults Dick's mind back into the depths of his genetic memory where modern Cornwall transforms to a battleground where a bloodthirsty struggle between 14th century landowners rages at a slightly accelerated pace from that of the present. As intriguing as the reader may find this premise, Dick Young finds it all the more so. For with each dose of the drug, Dick's body and mind become addicted to this otherworld, so much so that he ignores the responsibilities of his present life and places his marriage, livelihood and life in jeopardy.

As in other Du Maurier tales where she employs a male narrator, Dick falls prey to an older mentor, in this case biochemist researcher and designer of the genetic memory drug, Magnus Lane. (Oddly, although not biologically related, both Magnus and Dick conjur up the same historical characters as they 'journey' back to the Cornwall of the 14th century.) Interlaced within their perfect and insular relationship lies the same exclusionary sense experienced between Philip and Ambrose (My Cousin Rachel) and John and Jean (The Scapegoat)that no outsiders are welcome, particularly women---as in all these stories, the major woman character is either murdered or harmed in some dire way.

If the reader is expecting a time travel tale where the voyager entangles himself in the past, find another book. Dick serves as a guinea pig in this plotline; he observes the past through the conduit of the drug. The main gist of the novel revolves around Dick's all-consuming addiction rather than his experiences in another time.

Du Maurier uses real historical personnages in her depiction of Dick's "trips". The 'House on the Strand' was a house she actually lived in and whose past she researched. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys Du Maurier's knack of transporting the reader into the head of her narrator, eliciting both sympathy and emotional terror simultaneously.

Anyone who has ever read Rebecca knows that Daphne du Maurier was always ahead of her time. Her concern with what we now call Women's Issues was a hallmark in all of her works.
In none of her books is that more apparent than in The House on the Strand. Although the viewpoint character is male, the concern for women's rights still shines through.
If you have seen the TV miniseries 'The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan' or the motion picture 'Somewhere in Time' you will at first think that both of them somehow got their inspiration from this book when you first start reading it. But this is much deeper than either of those stories. While the major character does indeed flash backwards and forwards in time, his discoveries in the past help him understand his present circumstances. The emphasis then is not on his wanting to 'escape' the present, as in the two movies, but on wanting to understand how the present and the past interrelate.
Also, some of the minor characters are historically real, and this adds a lot of interest to the tale. It makes you want to go visit the area in southern England where the story is set, and do a little investigating for yourself.
Provides some real food for thought.

After absolutely loving DuMaurier's Rebecca, I had high expectations for this book, especially since the storyline based on time travel sounded promising. I was disappointed and frustrated when the novel did not deliver what it promised. First of all, it contained barely anything resembling a plot. The main character just wandered around, secretly used the drug, and became violently ill. Lather, rinse, repeat. The detailed descriptions of his pain and retching were especially unpleasant. The time-travel scenes did at least have a storyline, but it was disjointed, confusing, and incomprehensibly written; this was compounded by the fact that the historical characters had near-identical surnames (I realize that there was a minor reason for this, but it proves a huge disadvantage for the reader). The spark of romantic connection between Isolde and the main character was also promising, but nothing came of it. I read the entire book, hoping that there was a point somewhere, but not even the smallest payoff ever surfaced. This book just rambled around in the gloom without any direction or destination, and I found it dry, unenjoyable, and a waste of my time.

I enjoyed 'Rebecca' and wanted to try another of the author's books. "The House on the Strand" was an average read, but I recommend it to time travel buffs and those who enjoy Du Maurier's style. The book takes place in Cornwall, England in 1969 and the 14th century. I was fascinated by Du Maurier's descriptions of the landscape and surroundings in each century as the main character travelled back and forth. The story line starts out interesting, but frankly not much really happens. There is a lot of intrigue and none of it ever gets wrapped up. I was a bit bogged down by names and roles of many of the 14th century characters, but a family tree in the beginning of the book was very helpful. The story is light, and besides the 14th century names, it is a fast read. I would say it is a good vacation read for someone going to Cornwall, or a reader who just enjoys a little old fashioned time travel.

I wasn't expecting to like this book - my reaction to all time-travel stories can be pretty much summed up in one word -

"blah". So I was surprised to find myself enjoying the book. Du Maurier's prose is as excellent as ever. Her characterization, especially of Dick, is for most part compelling, though I felt that some of the characters from the past were somewhat lacking in depth. (Roger, Isolda, and Otto, however, were all powerfully realised.) I found the plot sufficiently well designed to keep me interested, and I appreciated the way the writer seamlessly wove the past into the present, as well as Dick's struggle to comprehend it all. The story as a whole possesses surprising depth, and I recommend it, particularly to du Maurier fans.

Read this book back in 1970. It has haunted me for all of these years. I am especially reminded of the story when I listen to Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind", which was popular on the radio at the same time I read it. I have the CD and was prompted to buy the book again now. I read all of DuMaurier's books over the years. What a great writer!

Time travel in the company of a boring and fussy Brit twit protagonist is not a journey I'd sign up for again. Al Gore's word "snippy" was invented for this guy. The characters he shadows in the 14th century are equally dullish and two dimensional, plus who's betraying whom -- politically and maritally -- pales quickly. I read waiting for the twist (it is a nice ending!) and for the very thoroughly researched details of Cornwall now and six centuries ago. Unfortunately, one feels considerably more interest in the drug, that transporting liquid, than in anything else, not a good sign for a novel of really unrequited love. The final fifty pages fly past but getting to that point is as much of a slog as the time travelers moving through the cold marshes and estuaries of the past.

This is about my favourite du Maurier novel - and close to my favourite novel, full stop. It is a brilliantly original time travel story, as well as a compelling exploration of addiction.

Dick, unhappy and dissatisfied in his contemporary world, finds refuge of a sort in 14th century Cornwall - a drug developed by his scientist friend, Magnus, has the ability to transport him back to that era, although he can only observe, and not participate. He becomes fascinated with the people he encounters - in particular, Roger the steward, who is almost his unwitting guide, and Isolda Carminowe - to the extent that his present-day relationships suffer by comparison, and the people of the past seem more real to him than those of his present.

This novel is exquisitely written, with well-drawn, three-dimensional characters, as well as a suspenseful plot - and a great depiction of 14th century Cornwall. Excellent on all levels.

I bought this book simply because it was written by Daphne du Maurier and I'm a huge fan of her novel - Rebecca. I was thrilled when I realized it involved time travel. The story has the vibe of Edgar Allen Poe meets The Twiligjt Zone. I love the idea that the past exists in our DNA and the drug that the main character took tapped into these memories so it was as though he was there in the past. That was my interrptetion, anyway. The writing is wonderful and the alternate reality of the 1300's had that compelling historical fiction quality to it. My only issue was trying to keep up with the names and family tree of the characters in the 1300s. I had to create a cheat sheet to remind myself who was who. Overall a great book that I couldn't put down.