#QOTD – Have you ever taken things for granted, and then regretted it later?
None of us lived perfect lives. So, it’s only natural that each of us carries a few regrets with us. Looking back, I can’t help but regret how many simple pleasures of life have I taken for granted. I took for granted the privilege of living with my parents, until I moved out. I took my body for granted for its flexibility and dancing capability, until I had a terrible lower back pain, and I could hardly walk fast, let alone dancing! You never know the true value of something until it’s taken away from you.
Daphne du Maurier’s second novel, I’ll Never Be Young Again is about taking life for granted. The one line summary for this book would be, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. The story begins with the narrator, Dick, about to commit suicide by jumping off from the Westminster Bridge, London, and a total stranger, Jake, stopping him. Dick is constantly looking for the next experience rather than appreciating what he has at that moment in his life.
The first half of the book follows the adventures of Dick and Jake as they leave England and sail to Norway together in search of a new life. The second half is the story of Dick’s relationship with Hesta, a girl he meets in Paris.
This is different from the other books of hers that I’ve read so far. It lacks all the elements I love in her later works. It doesn’t have her signature suspense or gothic vibes – this is more character-driven and a little boring. Du Maurier is my favourite author, and I am proud to realise that she took time, and experimented with her writing style, before she wrote her masterpieces.
The Bora Booktique 