Man from the South

Alright guys, tonight is the night where I get to recommend two stories to you.  For the first, I have chosen a short story by the Norwegian author Roald Dahl.  This story has been adapted several times for the screen, including a 1960 short short film featuring Alfred Hitchcock and Steve McQueen, and a 1995 short film featuring Quentin Tarantino and Bruce Willis.  “But isn’t he a kids’ writer,” some might ask; yes, Dahl was primarily famous for his children’s stories, but he also has written a fair amount of books and short stories for adults. Plus, if you thought he was a good author as a child, just wait until you read this short story of his titled Man from the South. Man from the South http://maggiemcneill.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/man-from-the-south.pdf What would you bet for a car?  Man from the South, by Roald Dahl, is about a sneaky South American trickster named Carlos who bets people cars in exchange for their fingers.  The story takes place by the pool deck of a hotel in 1948.  While the nameless narrator/protagonist lounges in a deckchair, Carlos walks over and sits in the deckchair next to him.  Eventually, Carlos and a soldier who’s relaxing in the pool strike up a conversation, which then turns into a wager. The bet is that if the soldier can light up his lighter ten times out of ten in the windy outdoors, then gets a car from Carlos.  If the soldier fails to light the lighter one of the ten times, Carlos gets his pinky finger.  The bet gets pretty intense, and a few words about the ending:  expect the unexpected. While the story may not have a hook, this is compensated for through Dahl’s impeccable writing style which will leave a reader feeling as if they are drifting through a story.  For that reason, I would recommend this story to a person who hates to read longer short stories, novellas, and novels because the story it is so easy to read that it takes nearly no mental energy.  What is nice about Dahl’s short stories is that he doesn’t overdo the details to the point of boredom, but effectively paints a picture of a story with a great setting and era within short concise sentences.  Another aspect of his writing that makes this story easy to follow is how the plot is being narrated by the protagonist, which allows us to get a more personal view of what is a happening in the story.  I really like the first person narrative because it gives me the feeling of being in the story.