Switch Bitch
1974 • 140 pages
Ratings5
Average rating2.6
15
Ratings5
Average rating2.6
Four tales of seduction and suspense from the grand master of the short story...
Topping and tailing this collection are two stories featuring Roald Dahl's notorious hedonist Oswald Hendryks Cornelius (or Uncle Oswald) whose exploits are frequently as extraordinary as they are scandalous. The collection was first published in 1974 although some of the stories date from several years before - Uncle Oswald's first appearance was in The Visitor, written in 1964. The other two black comedies in Switch Bitch also explore a darker side of desire and pleasure.
The four stories included are:
[Visitor](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20504386W/The_Visitor)
[Great Switcheroo](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15091023W/The_Great_Switcheroo)
[Last Act](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20504394W/The_Last_Act)
[Bitch](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20504401W/Bitch)
([source](https://www.roalddahl.com/roald-dahl/stories/p-t/switch-bitch))
Reviews with the most likes.
I read three of these four stories previously in a different compilation, none of which was very good. Switcheroo tries to back out of being nothing but an extended rape fantasy with its “twist” but doesn't really succeed. The only one I hadnt read was The Last Act and when I grabbed this from the library after reading the recent NYRB essay on Dahl I thought I might as well read it to be thorough. It's bad.
Woah. If you've only ever read Roald Dahl's children books, this is a bit of a shocker. I suppose the title would give it away, but dang. They should put an R rating on this one, lest any young fans of the BFG or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory think they're in for tales of charming fantasy and adventure (vs lots of casual sex).
These 4 stories were non-nutritive & very dirty, but well-written and thoroughly entertaining. The characters portray well-charted but enjoyable tropes of wealthy English womanizers, but there is an appreciated sense of self-awareness from the author that makes all the nasty stuff funny instead of gross. The first two stores especially had hilarious and truly unexpected plot twists. The third story was lackluster, and the fourth was just okay. Overall, this book was a fun and quick read.
