booksandflowers 's review for:

The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier

4.0

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Impressive! Daphne du Maurier can do no wrong. I found The Parasites very different from the other du Maurier books in terms of this book lacking the usual gothic vibe, darkness and mystery. The book is set in an afternoon in a country house where three children of the famous singer Pappy and the amazing dancer Mommy are called parasites by Charles, the husband of Maria, the eldest daughter. Maria, Niall and Celia sit around and remember their childhood whilst Charles is still bitter and cold towards them. It is fascinating how the siblings/half-siblings are so different from each other and how each character has been given deep layers for the reader to discover in each chapter. We love, pity and loathe all three of them during the course of this book. Their childhood is chaotic, funny and colourful. Maria being the daughter of the father, Niall being the son of the mother and Celia being the only common biological child of both parents, are spoilt, are given what they want and are not given the total love and affection they need when they need it. After they lose their mother, Niall is sent to school to improve his music skills, if he has any. Maria becomes an actress and is given free pass and lead roles because of her surname. And Celia travels with Pappy while he continues to perform. Later on, Maria gets married to Charles, Niall sets of to Paris with an elderly woman and becomes famous for "pop" tunes and cheap music and Celia is bound to look after a difficult Pappy and neglects her talent in drawing. Maria is spoilt, selfish, self-centred, sexy but still naive, incapable of management, lacks self-confidence and power. Niall is a lost child, neglected by her own mother, suppressed by fear, a free spirit, a lazy and empty guy with so much affection for Maria, looking for a meaning in life. Celia, being the most giving of them all, is a suppressed, afraid, coward spinster, who finds excuses to sacrifice herself for someone else because she is too afraid to live her own life and face the consequences, heartbreaks and failures. They are all flawed, but brilliantly written. In the beginning I thought I would not like this book as much as the other du Maurier books, but I am left amazed by it at the end.