This short story review is adapted from one of my previous posts. I found it in a collection of mystery stories with the theme of food and eating. At the time, I had no idea how well known it is, although I had heard of the title (and the author, of course).
"Lamb to the Slaughter"
Mary Maloney waits eagerly for her husband, a policeman, to come home from work; it is their regular night to go out for dinner. She is six months pregnant, and is portrayed as a loving wife. When her husband arrives, he is short with her, and decides to break some bad news to her; that he will be leaving her but she will be taken care of. She finds it difficult to believe or to react to; on automatic, she goes into the kitchen to prepare supper.
This story was chilling and dark but not depressing. It was a great read and it was not what I expected, even knowing a bit about it going in.
I found "Lamb to the Slaughter" in Murder on the Menu, but it has been reprinted in many collections. It is available online here or here.
While looking into the story I saw some comparisons to another story by this author, "The Landlady," which won the 1960 Edgar for Best Short Story. I read it and it is just as chilling as "Lamb to the Slaughter." In 1954, Dahl won the Best Short Story Edgar for "Someone Like You."
This story was adapted for television more than once. This post at The mOvie blog talks about the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode (starring Barbara Bel Geddes) and includes screenshots.
Also see Prashant's review at Chess, Comics, Crosswords, Books, Music, Cinema.
19 comments:
I wonder if I've seen this story dramatised in the form of Tales of the Unexpected which was a TV series back in the 70s or 80s based on all of Dahl's weird short stories. I don't remember it as it's too long ago but I think it's likely. I love the cover of the book, it's 'so' you! LOL
I won't ever forget the Hitchcock episode.
Like Cath, I've seen this story dramatized on TV several times. A true classic!
Great story & excellent Hitchcock Presents episode. It was among the few episodes the sponsors approved in which the murderer gets away with the crime. It worked because the "criminal" was the true victim in the story, & the very pregnant Bel Geddes was so likeable.
Cath, I haven't read many of Roald Dahl's stories, and haven't seen any of that TV series, but I do have his short story collection titled Tales of the Unexpected. Which I hope to read from soon.
This is one of my favorite skull covers. I was curious to see when and how I got it, so checked my catalog. I bought it back in 2006 before I was reading many short stories, so clearly got it mainly for the cover.
Patti, I know I must have seen some Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes but don't remember any of them. I like Barbara Bel Geddes.
Diane/George, I am going to have to find that episode somewhere.
Casual Debris, thanks for that information on the episode. It is funny how TV or movie adaptations don't want the bad guy getting away with the crime, but I am glad to hear it was accepted in this case.
Oh, Tracy, this is one of my top short stories! I loved it as a young person, and I still love it. Such a well-drawn story and I'm so happy you reminded me of it!
Ha, it's such a good story, isn't it? It was Margot who inspired me to read it, when she mentioned it once on her blog a few years ago. Not quite what I expected from Roald Dahl!
I agree, Margot, a wonderful story. I do remember reading about at your blog (as FictionFan mentions), and that may have been my introduction to it also.
I haven't read much by Roald Dahl, FictionFan, but I will be getting to my collection of his short stories soon.
Roald Dahl was a nasty SOB, but a good writer. I loved his children's books, particularly JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, and enjoyed the Charlie duo (AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and THE GLASS ELEVATOR...and,I think it's pretty hard to dispute, much of J. K. Rowling's template comes out of Dahl's work thus, but she's not as good at it), but even in them the ugliness of his personality will out. (He was nasty as hell to his long-term wife, Patricia Neal, though I suppose it was Very arguably Tough Love during her recovery process.) His contributions to suspense and horror fiction (I would come across such stories as his as "Royal Jelly" and "Man from the South" in the HITCHCOCK anthologies, particularly those edited by Harold Masur, that I'd read in the next year or so after the Dahl novels, are difficult to forget..."South" also adapted for HITCHCOK PRESENTS the series, and I believe the revival series). KISS KISS was the first collection of his I picked up. Famously, his version of "gremlins" from aviator lore, he having been in the Royal AF, were worked into a wartime Disney film and have remained influential. And, I imagine, that murderous feast volume might well have included the likes of Lord Dunsany's "Two Bottles of Relish" and Stanley Ellin's "A Touch of Nutmeg Makes It"?
Oops! Still using Alice's computer while seeing if I managed to get the dishwasher going properly again...much as George seems to be Diane these days in comments!
HITCHOCK PRESENTS the original series really did seem to have a few too many fractious marriage dramas in it...that kind of turned me off after seeing a bunch in a row as a kid. THRILLER, hosted by Boris Karloff, on the other hand, even though their suspense episodes could be pedestrian, the horror episodes were often quite impressive...
Todd, I do recognize that comments from Alice are from you, so no problem. (and that has happened with George too, as you note)
I would like to read more longer fiction by Dahl also, and top of the list would be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I had heard that he was not a nice person, but not aware of specifics, except in regards to Patricial Neal.
I have read one other short story by Dahl, "The Great Automatic Grammatisator", from The Vintage Anthology of Science Fantasy. I liked that one.
You are right about the Lord Dunsany story. But the story from Stanley Ellin in this book is "The Specialty of the House", which I have read. I do have a huge book of Stanley Ellin's short stories, so "A Touch of Nutmeg Makes It" should be in that one.
As well as it might be, since a memory failure had me conflating Ellin's cannibalism story with another old favorite writer's, John Collier's! And his is "The Touch of Nutmeg Makes It"...Sorry 'bout that!
No problem at all, Todd. Now I won't go looking for that story in Ellin's book, but maybe I will find it elsewhere.
Love your collection of skeleton covers!
I have only read two of Dahl's children's novels but those reveal his skill with the outrageous and quirky.
Constance, I may actually read some of Roald Dahl's books in years back, but I cannot recall any of them. So I do look forward to reading some of them.
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