After Midnight: Thirteen Tales for the Dark Hours
From Daphne du Maurier, “a writer of fearless originality” (The Guardian), comes a collection of her thirteen most mesmerizing tales—including iconic stories such as “The Birds” and “Don’t Look Now”—with an introduction by Stephen King.
Daphne du Maurier is best known for Rebecca, “one of the most influential novels of the 20th century” (Sarah Waters) and basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film adaptation. More than thirty-five years after her death, du Maurier is celebrated for her gothic genius and stunning psychological insight by authors such as Ottessa Moshfegh, Maggie O’Farrell, Lucy Foley, Gillian Flynn, Jennifer Egan, and countless others, including Stephen King and Joe Hill.
After Midnight brings together some of du Maurier’s darkest, most haunting stories, ranging from sophisticated literary thriller to twisted love story. Alongside classics such as “The Birds” and “Don’t Look Now,”—both of which inspired unforgettable films—are gems such as “Monte Verità,” a masterpiece about obsession, mysticism, and tragic love, and “The Alibi,” a chilling tale of an ordinary man’s descent into lies, manipulation, and sinister fantasies that edge dangerously close to reality. In “The Blue Lenses,” a woman recovering from eye surgery finds she now perceives those around her as having animal heads corresponding to their true natures. “Not After Midnight” follows a schoolteacher on holiday in Crete who finds a foreboding message from the chalet’s previous occupant who drowned while swimming at night. In “The Breakthrough,” a scientist conducts experiments to harness the power of death, blurring the line between genius and madness.
Each story in this collection exemplifies du Maurier’s exquisite writing and singular insight into human frailty, jealousy, and the macabre. She “makes worlds in which people and even houses are mysterious and mutable; haunted rooms in which disembodied spirits dance at absolute liberty” (Olivia Laing, author of Crudo). Daphne du Maurier is mistress of the sleight of hand and slow-burning menace, often imitated and rarely surpassed.
Stories include:
-“The Blue Lenses”
-“Don’t Look Now”
-“The Alibi”
-“The Apple Tree”
-“The Birds”
-“Monte Verita”
-“The Pool”
-“The Doll”
-“Ganymede”
-“Leading Lady”
-“Not After Midnight”
-“Split Second”
-“The Breakthrough”
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Community Reviews
This book is a collection of 13 short stories by Daphne du Maurier, who also wrote the novel, "Rebecca". Like "Rebecca", these books have a dark feel to them (some quite a bit darker). All together they total 510 pages, so it's a good amount of reading in total. While I didn't love all these stories, overall I have to rate this book 4/5 (or 8/10 on a 10-star scale). Here's my brief description, star rating, and thoughts on each of the stories:
1. The Blue Lenses - A woman receives eye surgery to restore her sight, but things do not appear as she had suspected as her sight is partially and then eventually restored.
2/5: Not scary, predictable
2. Don't Look Now - A couple vacationing in Venice encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is said to be a psychic. He believes they have bad intentions.
4/5: Well-written, atmospheric, lots of character development, chilling writing, bizarre ending, not entirely sure of the point, but a decent read.
3. The Alibi - A seriously depressed man decides he wants to murder a random person. Things take quite a different turn for him after meeting his potential victims.
5/5: Excellent writing and story, although the ending fell a little flat.
4. The Apple Tree - An old apple tree on a man's farm reminds him of his late nagging wife, as a younger tree reminds him of a young farm-hand girl with whom he had a brief affair.
5/5: This story is perhaps the "best of the bunch" (pun intended). Great build-up and ending. Not predictable. It is amazing what this author can imagine and recreate in a 40-page story.
5. The Birds - This story was the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 movie of the same name. Without spoiling it: Birds go berserk.
5/5: I haven't seen the movie, but I heard the written story is better.
6. Monte Verita - A man falls in love with a woman who shares his passion for mountain climbing. She disappears and the rest of the story is the man searching for the truth. His friend in the story imagines three scenarios that may have unfolded.
4/5: The author is amazing at world-building, but the ending of this story left me wondering what the point of it all was.
One memorable line from this story: "Life is hard because nature is hard, and nature has no mercy."
7. The Pool - Two children spend the summer at their grandparents' home, and play in a swamp that the sister envisions as a pool.
3/5: Well-written and imaginative, but I'm not sure of the point or the plot.
8. The Doll - It's about a man, a woman, and her companion.
3/5 - One word: bizarre
9. Ganymede - Italian love story about obsession and adventure
3/5 - Writing excellent, felt like I was vacationing in Italy, didn't care for the story
10. Leading Lady - An actress sabotages a young hopeful from stealing the spotlight
2/5 - Worst of the 13, easily. Excellent writing as usual, but no real insight from this story.
11. Not After Midnight - A painter seeking solace on a Greek island getaway meets up with an obnoxious businessman and his wife whom he tries unsuccessfully to avoid.
4/5: Excellent descriptive writing and character building. Like most of the stories in this book, it is so good you want to keep the pages turning.
12. Split Second - A woman leaves her home for a walk, only to find it taken over when she returns
5/5: Not scary in the sense of fear, but scary in that you can imagine this happening to you. Amazing story-telling ability.
13. The Breakthrough - More sci-fi than horror, touches on what is now AI
5/5 - This story is another example of the breadth of this author's talent and imagination. She can write romance, horror, and sci-fi with equal skill. This was a good one to end on since it makes me want to read another of her full-length novels.
