BookBrowse Reviews The Breakthrough by Daphne Du Maurier

BookBrowse:

A resurfaced gem from a celebrated author that explores the very essence of life and the dangers of trying to harness it.

Stephen Saunders is an electronics engineer, dispatched to a sparsely populated research facility in rural England as a favor to his boss. Reluctant from the get-go, he arrives to find James MacLean, a scientist conducting unregulated and unethical experiments. MacLean believes what some regard as the "soul" to be a form of latent energy that can be accessed and harvested, and perhaps even lead to an understanding of life itself. Saunders has been employed to help with the necessary machinery. Though quickly drawn in, he must wrestle with his moral compass when the experiments take an ominous and distressing turn.

The Breakthrough was first published in 1966, and later included in the 1971 collection Don't Look Now, where it was eclipsed by the success of the title story and its screen adaptation. It was able to reach a new audience, however, when republished as a standalone title in 2018 as part of the Penguin Modern series.

Author Daphne du Maurier is best remembered by most for penning gothic mystery thrillers like Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, The Birds, and My Cousin Rachel. While a foray into science fiction may sound at first like a radical departure from her usual style, fans of her better-known work will be glad to hear there are still echoes of it to be found in The Breakthrough. Brooding atmosphere, a protagonist out of their depth, an unnervingly ambiguous ending, and an isolated windswept setting; these trademarks of du Maurier's classics are all on fine display here. The latter of them — the richly drawn, craggy seaside location — is juxtaposed to great effect with the distinctly modern feel of the subject matter, enhancing the characters' sense of seclusion and the thick air of foreboding.

"The sandy track topped a rise and there below us, stretching into infinity, lay acre upon acre of waste land, marsh and reed, bounded on the left by sand-dunes with the open sea beyond. The marshes were intersected here and there by dykes, beside which stood clumps of forlorn rushes bending to the wind and rain, the dykes in their turn forming themselves into dank pools, one or two of them miniature lakes, ringed about with reeds."

When it comes to the actual science involved, du Maurier tends to skirt around the intricate inner workings of the machines, giving just enough hints to intrigue without bogging things down with dry detail or technical jargon. In a full-length novel, this would have felt like a glaring omission, but given the importance of prioritizing plot and pacing within the context of a short story's limited word count, the decision feels justified. It is also worth noting that the focus is never intended to be the technology itself, but rather its potential societal implications.

On this theme, despite the story's brief length, du Maurier poses big questions about the moral dilemmas of experimentation in the name of furthering science. It is no coincidence that the three test subjects involved in MacLean's experiments — Niki, a child with learning difficulties; Ken, a young man with terminal leukemia; and Cerberus, a loyal dog — are all vulnerable and in some way unable to object to their involvement. There is a clear abuse of power and issues surrounding consent; topics that generate debate in the worlds of science and medicine to this day.

While it would be easy to paint MacLean as the evil, mad scientist archetype, and Niki's mother as a cruel abuser for allowing her to be a subject, du Maurier takes a much subtler and more nuanced approach. With the knowledge that MacLean's beloved wife and Niki's twin sister have both died, their efforts to better understand the meaning of life after death are much more sympathetic — if still deeply misguided.

Aside from some outdated terminology used to describe Niki's disabilities, The Breakthrough has aged remarkably well. It raises important questions about the human desire to conquer death and gain insight into some form of afterlife or eternity, and how this knowledge could pose a direct threat to vulnerable groups within society. When the strain of the experiments begins to take a toll on Niki, Saunders worries about those who may become collateral damage should their efforts succeed:

"[…] with eternity assured, the human being on earth is more easily expendable. Dispatch the maimed, the old, the weak, destroy the very world itself, for what is the point of life if the promise of fulfilment lies elsewhere?"

Through a modern lens of disability justice and against current concerns over the political implications of assisted suicide, the examination of this subject feels prescient nearly 60 years after the story's first publication. For this reason and with its compelling prose, The Breakthrough serves as an interesting taster for those new to du Maurier's work, and a welcome readmission to her oeuvre for existing fans.

This review first ran in the January 29, 2025 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.