The other day going through my grandparents’ books, one stood out among the rest. I don’t know whether it was because I was feeling nostalgic and homesick, but as soon as I saw the title ‘Rule Britannia’ I couldn’t get the patriotic melody by Thomas Arne out of my head. However, what drew my attention the most was that the book was written by Daphne du Maurier, mostly known for novels such as ‘Rebecca’, ‘My Cousin Rachel’, ‘The Birds’, etc. Don’t ask me why, but I thought that the title of the book and the author’s name clashed; it looked odd.

As I began to read the synopsis, the following lines blew my mind:

“The time is a few years in the future. England has withdrawn from the Common Market and, on the brink of bankruptcy, has decided that salvation lies in a union – political, military and economic – with the United States.”

What?! This book was first published in 1972 and as I sat on the floor staring at the book, I couldn’t help but think it was like reading a Brexit article.

When the book first came out, its reviewers described it as “silly”. Furthermore, in 1993, Daphne du Maurier’s biographer, Margaret Forster, went as far as saying it was “the poorest novel she ever wrote”. Now, in 2019, the plot doesn’t seem as “silly” or as far-fetched; Chapter 11 depicts what could be a contemporary picture of the United Kingdom:

“Plans for Great Britain herself would take some time to formulate. It must be recognised that her heyday as a great industrial nation had now ended, but a new future lay ahead for her as the historical and cultural centre of the English-speaking peoples.”

Daphne du Maurier was a woman writer who did not wish to be categorised as a romantic novelist and followed up on an idea of «a funny novel … mocking everything». Although the novel was shunned, even laughed at as people believed it to be implausible, ‘Rule Britannia’ is probably the most relevant read of current Britain; a testimony to Daphne du Maurier’s Brexit prophecy.