Review: The Roald Dahl Omnibus: Perfect Bedtime Stories for Sleepless Nights by Roald Dahl

The Roald Dahl Omnibus: Perfect Bedtime Stories for Sleepless Nights by Roald Dahl
Reviewed by Mr Jason Erik Lundberg

Each of the 28 short stories within The Roald Dahl Omnibus begins in an expected way, but these expectations are subverted by the end with surprising twists. This technique is Dahl’s signature trademark, and can be seen, for example, in “Lamb to the Slaughter” (a story most Hwa Chong students should be familiar with), which involves Mary Maloney’s murder of her husband, and the suspenseful police investigation that threatens to expose her. Just as it seems that she has been caught, it is revealed that the frozen leg of lamb she used to kill her husband (by bashing him over the head) has finished cooking, and she invites the policemen to enjoy eating it, and thereby destroy the murder weapon through their act of consumption.

Classic stories and harder-to-find tales can be found within this omnibus aimed at older readers. Each story is an examination into the human condition, and their collective presence reveals once again a master of the short story form at the height of his skill.