The Last Act (A Roald Dahl Short Story)

Nov 16, 2025 9:22 PM

Author:Roald Dahl

The Last Act is a short, sharp, sad story from Roald Dahl, the master of the twist in the tale.

In The Last Act, Roald Dahl, one of the world's favourite authors, tells a story of human darkness and frailty. Here, a woman's reconnection with an old-flame does not go as expected . . .

The Last Act is taken from the short story collection Switch Bitch, which includes three other black comedies which capture the ins and outs, highs and lows of sex.

'One of the most widely read and influential writers of our generation.' (The Times )

This story is also available as a Penguin digital audio download read by Gillian Anderson.

Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.

Reviews

The absolute master of the twist in the tale

—— Observer

Haunting...profound...exquisitely wrought

—— Independent on Sunday

The tangle of this unhappy family is beautifully and ruthlessly analysed... The relationship between mother and daughter is described with uncompromising lucidity... Némirovsky evokes the places of her childhood with a sensuous clarity

—— Guardian

The Wine of Solitude is an end-of-innocence story... It is Némirovsky's powers of social observation...the implacable eye for the nuances of human conduct, that make The Wine of Solitude so memorable

—— Financial Times

Beautifully written... Her ability to evoke the feeling of time and especially place is remarkable

—— Scotsman

One of the best of her early novels... it is written with luminous intensity

—— Jane Shilling , Evening Standard, Books of the Year

This is Nemrovsky's most autobiographical novel...recalled in hauntingly atmospheric detail

—— Peter Kemp , Sunday Times, Books of the Year

It's an unerring portrait of a neglected, baleful and punitive daughter

—— Julian Barnes , Guardian, Books of the Year

Nemirovksy captures the rootless existence of emigres beautifully

—— Shirley Whiteside , Herald

Sandra Smith's translation is mellifluous and certain passages - the opening lines describing dusk in Kiev, for example - are breathtaking

—— Angel Gurria-Quintana , Financial Times

Némirovsky excels at describing this dysfunctional household

—— Marianne Brace , Independent

Sandra Smith’s translation of the novel faithfully reflects Nemirovsky’s talents as an astute portraitist and storyteller

—— Emma Hagestadt , Guardian

Nemirovsky evokes a time and a place when domestic upheaval could prove every bit as tragic and bloody as those played out on a wider stage

—— Emma Hagestadt , Independent

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