Kiss Me Again, Stranger by Daphne du Maurier

Title: Kiss Me Again, Stranger
Author: Daphne du Maurier
ISBN: 0671753282
Publisher: Avon Books/1972
Pages: 318

Kiss Me Again, Stranger is a collection of eight short stories by Daphne du Maurier. Those short stories are suspenseful with that edgy mystery element and haunt the reader long after finishing the stories. Those stories manage that elusive element keeping us on tenterhooks. Very tight, compelling and with realist portrayal, one can even envision it happening.

~ Kiss Me Again, Stranger is about a young man meeting a girl in a movie theatre and befriends her. He falls in love with her and then discovers some unpleasant truth about her.

~ The Birds is about birds trying to destroy humankind. Hitchcock based his movie on this story.

~ The Little Photographer is about a Marquise who despite fame and money finds herself lonely and decides to take a lover at the fag end.

~ Monte Verita can be rightfully termed as a novella and has many twists and tturns as only a love triangle can have. With well developed characters, it takes us into a journey which covers many years.

~ The Apple Tree is about a rich landlord who wishes for the old apple tree on his property to be chopped off, after his wife who has been long neglected, dies. For some reason he senses that it represents his dead wife. The apples taste bitter to him although those taste just fine for others

~ The Old Man is about a family whose old neighbour keeps an eye on them. He knows some secret about his neighbour and they always feel his eyes on them.

~ The Split Second is about a woman and the her daughter. They seem to have a comoplicated relationship. The suspense is mantained and we can see the depth of of du Maurier's writing.

~ No Motive is a murder mystery and despite the shortness, can totally engross the reader..

With her signature style, du Maurier captivates the reader with the irony and very realistic depiction of human quirks. Notwithstanding gender, social strata or moods or intentions. Some might find thse short stories dark and disturbing but that ought not deter them to read her books.