Review: #935
Title: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar & Six More
Series: N/A
Author: Roald Dahl
Comments: This is a short story collection by Roald Dahl and it is somewhat more mature and darker than his more well known books for children. The titular story of Henry Sugar is definitely one of the most interesting of the lot. In it, the character learns how to see through cards and makes a killing from casinos. What makes it unique is how to approaches the storytelling. It tells it in such a way that it pulls you out of the moment, from the character, until around midway where it puts the character back into focus again. The other story that pops out is based on real events which retell how Roald Dahl came to be an author. It’s inspiring and you can’t help but feel he is too humble. He wraps his experiences as a child, suffering the cruelty from boarding schools that was the norm in those days, to his army days, it’s engrossing. He emphasizes that you would have never thought he’ll have a knack for writing from his grades, but thanks to certain coincidences, here he is now. The other five stories each has their charms, but perhaps most surprising is how not all of them have happy endings. There are some pretty twisted scenes and concepts that were written to elicit disgust and disappointment. It never crosses the line but will make you feel uncomfortable.
Rating: 6/10