After Midnight - by Daphne du Maurier (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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"

Review Quotes

The 13 tales in After Midnight offer every shade of eerie. Du Maurier's best stories affirm that art remains one of the few reliable forms of immortality.--Maureen Corrigan "Fresh Air"

Praise for After Midnight

"Taken together, the 13 tales in After Midnight offer every shade of eerie. Du Maurier's best stories here also affirm that art remains one of the few reliable forms of immortality." --Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air

"Du Maurier is an expert invoker of atmosphere and environment... spellbinding... These stories are the work of a protean, restless, and rather dangerous spirit with a decidedly pagan bent and a craving for solitude. The stories in After Midnight are wild at heart, like the woman who made them." --Laura Miller, Slate

"These stories have real heft and depth and will linger in the imagination well beyond the witching time of year."-- Kathryn Hughes, The Wall Street Journal

"A delicious title. An iconic writer. A compendium of her finest gothic tales. After Midnight brings together some of du Maurier's most celebrated shorter works of psychological terror." --LitHub

"Du Maurier's stories have aged extraordinarily well and can still fill modern readers with dreadful unease." --Library Journal, starred review

"A marvellously dark, unsettling collection. Tales of nature gone rogue, of morals gone askew, of the blurring of the line between the homely and the uncanny. I loved it." --Sarah Waters, author of Fingersmith

"Daphne du Maurier is the Godmother of Fear. After Midnight is a dark and diabolical collection... If you've never read any of du Maurier's iconic short fiction, brace yourself: this is the perfect place to start." --Alice Slater, author of Death of a Bookseller

"Shadow-drenched and terror-inducing, this is an unputdownable collection that burns with quiet menace. After Midnight promises to never let you sleep again." --Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

About the Author

Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was an English writer, biographer, and playwright born in London. Her debut novel, The Loving Spirit was published in 1931. Her fifth novel, Rebecca, published in 1938, solidified her as one of the most popular writers of the 20th century. Many of her works were adapted for the screen, including the novels Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, My Cousin Rachel, and the short stories, "Don't Look Now" and "The Birds." Du Maurier grew up and spent much of her life in Cornwall, the setting for many of her books and stories. She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1969.