Roald Dahl, Skin and Other Stories

Dahl, Roald. Skin and Other Stories. Puffin/Penguin, 2000.

Skin and Other Stories at ISFdb

Skin and Other Stories at Goodreads

Overall rating:     6/10

Of the eleven stories in this collection, I had already read six, though none of them recently. The collection is a little uneven, as it includes stories from different aspects of Dahl's oeuvre: his short suspense and twisty stories, along with a couple of the early WWII tales and a pair of novelettes, which I really could have done without. Dahl's adult short stories are hit-and-miss, as is this collection.

Skin     8/10

The New Yorker, 17 May 1952

Tattoo artist Drioli, now an old man, notices a painting in a shop window on the rue de Rivoli, and recognizes the artist as a friend from before the war. He had met fellow Russian countryman Chaïm Soutine by chance in a bar, and the two hit it off, soon living together along with Drioli's wife. Soutine was a painter and Drioli a tattoo artist, and one drunken evening Soutine painted an image of Drioli's wife onto Drioli's back, which he then tattooed. Now, poor and miserable, Drioli discovers that there is a large fortune on the skin of his back.

At first I was mixed about this story, as I sometimes am with stories that hinge too much on their twist ending. I was immersed in the pre-wartime narrative of this trio of struggling, drinking immigrant artists, that the ending initially came off as disappointing in light of their relationship. A few days of reflection, I decided that the ending in this case enhances certain aspects of the characters and their relationships, and is arguably the darkest ending of Dahl's shorter works.

Lamb to the Slaughter     8/10

Harper's Magazine, September 1953

A very pregnant and very smitten Mary Maloney waits for her husband, Officer Patrick Maloney, to come home after work. It is Thursday night, the night they normally go out for dinner, so she hasn't prepared anything. But when Officer Maloney does come home, it is clear something is wrong, and she suggests they stay in and she will defrost some meat to prepare for dinner. Maloney finally tells her that he is leaving her for another woman. Mary is in shock, not fully comprehending, and takes a leg of lamb from the freezer, which, without premeditation, she uses to knock him dead.

A wonderful story, economically written. It is our concern for Mary that drives the narrative, and Dahl succeeds in creating a victim out of a murderer. The story is enhanced by its wonderful and faithful adaptation (adapted faithfully by Dahl himself) for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, directed by the Master of Suspense himself. It is difficult to read the story, though I've read it a few times, without seeing the wonderful Barbara Bel Geddes as Mary Maloney.

The Sound Machine     7/10

The New Yorker, 17 September 1949

Klausner has invented a machine that can pick up vibrations--sounds--at pitches far beyond what the human ear can hear. Though secretive by nature, Klausner reveals the nature of his invention to his doctor, who happened to walk by as he was working on it. The machine finally ready, Klausner soon learns that the cutting of flowers and other living organisms appears to cause a terrible reaction from the source.

An enjoyable story whose ending is focused more on the effect of the machine on its inventor, rather than some kind of twist.

An African Story     6/10

Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying, Reynal & Hitchcock, 1946

In the highlands of Kenya, an old man living isolated and alone tells the tale of his once neighbour Judson, who killed his dog, and the patient vengeance he eventually set up for the man. Well written and captures the mood and the isolation of the Kenyan plains, the last portion is expected and as a result some of the charm wears off.

The story is framed by an RAF pilot who encountered the man when his plane went down. The old man, glad for company, recounted the tale with claims he'd never told anyone. The pilot write it down as soon as he returned home, and kept it to himself until a fellow airman found it following his death. A bit of a build-up for the story, likely to fit into the collection in which it first appeared, but not too necessary for the story if it appears by itself. It would be better to let the Kenyan narrate the tale and not through the interpretation of the white, European pilot.

Galloping Foxley     6/10

Town & Country, November 1953

Perkins is a sixty-three year-old man of routine, who particularly enjoys his daily commute to work. Until one day, when a stranger appears on the platform of the train station, instilling unease in the usual travellers. When getting on the train, the stranger steps into Perkins's compartment and sits facing him. At first appalled, Perkins soon recognizes the stranger to be Bruce "Galloping" Foxley, who at their private boarding school, mercilessly bullied the younger Perkins.

Much of the story focuses on details of the bullying. My favourite section is the opening, preceding the memories, with Perkins describing the pleasure he gets from his commute, and the discomfort generated by the stranger who appears on the platform, disrupting his routine. The bullying sequence is overlong, and the twist in this one sort of negates the emotions that arose, as it aims more at the comical than the dramatic.

The Wish     7/10

uncertain original publication data, 1948

A young boy decides to walk along the extended hallway to the front door, stepping only on the yellow parts of the carpet. Make believe begins to blur reality and imagination, and a nice ambiguous ending makes the reader wonder what really happened. A nice, brief story, made interesting by its capture of childhood fun, and its ambiguous finish. Felt reminiscent of Bradbury's stories, probably in the treatment of childhood games.

Unfortunately, I can't find the original publication information for "The Wish." Many sources indicate the year as 1948, but then go onto mention its publication in Someone Like You, which first appeared in 1953. Chat GPT was unable to help me with this, but confirmed 1948 as the year based on "several sources." (Probably the same sources I looked at.)

The Surgeon     5/10

Playboy, January 1988

Dr. Robert Sandy has saved the life of a Saudi Arabian prince, and the prince offers him a gift of large, white diamond. He visits a jeweler and learns the diamond can be worth one million on the market, then heads home to share the news with his wife. They are about to drive off for the weekend, and wonder where they could hide the diamond to ensure its safety.

The shortest story in the collection is followed by the longest. "The Surgeon" is overlong, and reads as though Dahl needed to reach a minimum word count, since there are so many unnecessary details bogging down what is really a simple story. Had it been the length of "Lamb to the Slaughter," it might be ok, but the story hinges on one single idea, the clever hiding of the diamond, and what follows is just not that interesting. It is not helped that the uninteresting latter part of the story is long, and the ending is outright flat. To add to this, probably because the story appeared originally in Playboy, the (very mild) cursing in the story is awkward, as it is forced.

Dip in the Pool     7/10

The New Yorker, 19 January 1952

During a cruise, passenger William Botibol aims to win the daily pool in which bets are made as to how much distance the ship will make the following twenty-four hours. Since the ship entered a storm, Botibol bets low, but awakens in the morning to calm weather and a speeding ship. Desperate to win the six thousand dollar pool, he plans a risky maneuver to slow the ship down.

I first read this as a kid and it remains an enjoyable story. As with Dahl's most interesting work, it is short and focused on its trickery. I found the betting process more interesting than Botibol's plans and the story's climax.

The Champion of the World     5/10

The New Yorker, 31 January 1959

Two filling station employees plan to poach the pheasants on the land of the local arrogant wealthy brewer. Another overlong story, this one is more of a comedic story for younger readers, and is not terribly funny nor very interesting. Perhaps in 1959 it would've raised a couple of chuckles.

Beware of the Dog     7/10

Harper's Magazine, October 1944

A World War II British fighter pilot is flying home, disoriented as he has lost his right leg. Feeling he will lose consciousness, he bails from the plane, and later awakens in a hospital room. Halfway down his right leg is a stump, and though he is taken well care of by a nurse and doctor, he continues to feel disoriented, and cannot bury the feeling that something is just not right.

A genuinely suspenseful story, well written, nicely fusing Dahl's wartime writing with his suspense story writing.

My Lady Love, My Dove     6/10

The New Yorker, 21 June 1952

Arthur and his wife Pamela have invited the Snapes over for the weekend for bridge. While Pamela does not particularly like the Henry and Sally Snape, they play a good game so she is happy to have them. As the pair discuss the weekend the morning before their guests' arrival, domineering Pamela thinks it would be a good idea for Arthur to place a microphone in the gust bedroom, and in the evening eavesdrop on their private conversation.

An entertaining story that unfortunately falls flat. I understand what Dahl is doing in terms of characterizing Pamela and the couple's dynamic, but the focus of the buildup is pretty much discarded for the joke.