Books for a Desert Island: Julie’s Pick

Usually, when I tell someone that I love to read, I can anticipate (and dread) their next question: “What’s your favorite book?” I have read many books at many ages, and they all mean something to me. The answer changes depending on my mood––if I’m feeling funny, I’ll answer with Douglass Adam’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. If I’m feeling nostalgic, the answer may be Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart. If I’m feeling mysterious, I could offer Emil Ferris’ My Favorite Thing is Monsters. But the one piece of literature I can read over and over again, finding new entertainment each time, are short stories by Roald Dahl. This could be considered cheating, but the book I would take with me to a deserted island is actually an anthology of stories, The Best of Roald Dahl, first published in 1978.

I grew up reading Roald Dahl’s books for children. They were whimsical, but something about them unsettled me. His stories for adults share the imagination and dark undercurrents of his stories for children, but they lack the whimsy and telltale “happy endings.” In fact, they are rooted in realism. His stories are layered. Each time you read and reread them, you discover something new. In high school, I analyzed his story “The Way Up to Heaven,” for a Language Arts exam. On the surface, it’s an odd tale about a husband and wife on their way to visit their daughter for the first time in years. But after digging a little deeper, it becomes clear that this is actually a macabre tale of vengeance. All of Dahl’s stories are like this. They are always worth a second read, or a look-over with a fine-toothed comb. Often drawing from Dahl’s experience serving in World War II, they are filled with dark satire, irony, and twists you just don’t see coming. These stories bring unexpected characters and situations to be unravelled.

If I was unfortunate enough to find myself stranded on a deserted island, I would want Dahl’s tales to keep me company. I have had the book for nearly six years and I never grow tired of rereading his stories. And finding myself in such an unlucky situation, I just might be able to commiserate with his characters.

You can read Joyce Carol Oates’ review of Dahl’s works here. You can also read a few of his works online, such as one about a pregnant woman whose husband is leaving her, a morbid bet, and an injured pilot suspicious of his caretakers.