Review: Don’t Look Now and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier

Review of the book “Don’t Look Now and Other Stories” by Daphne du Maurier.

Don’t Look Now and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by British writer Daphne du Maurier, first published in 1971. The collection includes eight stories, each with a unique style and intriguing plot.

If you like suspense, mystery and psychological horror stories, you can’t miss this collection of five stories by the great Daphne du Maurier, one of the masters of the genre. In this book you will find:

– Don’t Look Now: A married couple trying to get over the death of their daughter travel to Venice, where they meet two old women who claim to have a message from the girl. An oppressive atmosphere and an invisible threat loom over them in this city of canals and shadows.
– The Apple Tree: A widowed man feels a deep resentment towards his deceased wife, whom he considered a bad person. In his garden there is an apple tree that produces rotten apples and seems to have a life of its own. Could it be a manifestation of his wife’s spirit?
– Not After Midnight: An art teacher travels to Greece to paint some seascapes, but finds himself staying in a house where a tragedy occurred: the previous tenant drowned at sea under mysterious circumstances. The teacher begins to feel an obsession with the sea and the fate of the drowned man.
– The Pond: A lonely woman lives in an isolated house next to a pond that fascinates her. One day she is visited by a young man who claims to be her nephew and who is staying with her. The woman begins to suspect that the young man has some dark purpose and that the pond holds a secret.
– The blue lenses: A woman who is about to regain her sight after an operation puts on blue lenses to protect her eyes. When she looks at her husband, she discovers that his eyes are different from the ones she remembered. She soon realizes that the lenses allow her to see the true nature of people.

These stories are a sample of Daphne du Maurier’s narrative talent, capable of creating engaging plots, complex characters and surprising endings. With an elegant style and careful prose, the author immerses us in disturbing scenarios and makes us share the emotions and fears of her protagonists. Don’t Look Now and Other Stories is an essential book for lovers of quality literature and the fantasy genre.

The title of the collection refers to the first story, “Don’t Look Now,” a horror story that follows a couple who travel to Venice to overcome the sadness of their daughter’s death. The story is tense, mysterious, and full of unexpected twists, making it one of the standout stories in the book.

Another standout story is “The Other Side of the Water,” which tells the story of a young girl who moves to a small coastal town to escape her past life. The story is fascinating and suspenseful, and the author manages to create a disturbing and disconcerting atmosphere.

Du Maurier has a talent for creating complex and vivid characters, and each of the stories in the collection is an example of her ability to explore the emotional complexities of her characters. From the lonely man in “The Invisible Bird” to the young man in love in “The House of Storms,” each of the characters is memorable and well-developed.

Du Maurier’s prose is rich and evocative, and she manages to create a sense of suspense and mystery that keeps the reader intrigued until the very end. Her stories exemplify the best work in horror and suspense literature, and have inspired many later authors.

Overall, Don’t Look Now and Other Stories is an excellent collection of short stories from one of the most talented writers of the 20th century. With its evocative prose, complex characters, and intriguing plots, each story is a literary gem that will captivate lovers of the genre. The collection is an example of Daphne du Maurier’s great talent and a showcase of the power of literature to make us feel intense emotions and explore the darkest aspects of the human condition.