Missing

by Walter de la Mare, Russell Hoban (Foreword)

With London in the grip of a heat wave, a man takes refuge from the scorching sun in a nearby tea shop, only to share his table with a stranger who seems determined to make conversation. Too polite to ignore him, he becomes his reluctant confidant, as harmless small talk gives way to dark memories. "Missing" is the first of three unsettling stories of guilty secrets, past hurts, and haunted lives from one of the foremost English writers of the 20th century. Remembered chiefly as a poet, and in particular for his visionary poem "The Traveller," Walter de la Mare (1873–1956) was also acclaimed as a writer of short stories.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

109 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1926

About the author

Walter John de la Mare was an English poet, short story writer and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem "The Listeners", and for his psychological horror short fiction, including "Seaton's Aunt" and "All Hallows". In 1921, his novel Memoirs of a Midget won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, and his post-war Collected Stories for Children won the 1947 Carnegie Medal for British children's books.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.63⭐

Foreword by Russell Hoban 3.5⭐
Missing 3.5⭐
The Almond Tree 3.5⭐
Crewe 4⭐

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"'When I say "tender mercies,"' he explained, 'I don't mean that my sister would have been left penniless, even if Miss Dutton or nobody like her had come into the house. There was money of my own, too, though, owing to what I need not explain' -- he half swallowed his words -- 'not much.' He broke off. 'It seems as if we are in for a bit of a thunderstorm. But I'd sooner it was here than down my way. When you're alone in the house you seem to notice the noise more.'"

[Terra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tre racconti in un centinaio di pagine, eppure mi sono sembrati interminabili. Non mi sono piaciuti né lo stile né le storie. Mi sarà sfuggito qualcosa.

[robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three short stories. The first was a little bit incoherent and left me cold. But the second two:

The Almond Tree, told by an elderly narrator, is about an affair as seen through the eyes of a child. It struck me because it's not certain that it was an actual affair, perhaps just emotional and intellectual, due to the 'spiritual' nature of the young lady who is a friend of the child's father. But her culpability and unthinking selfishness strikes me SO forcibly, as an adult reader. I'm so hostile to the father. It's a gem of as story, because it seems to me to illustrate really beautifully these cruel little connections that happen between people, and how selfish we can be.

And then, Crewe - it's a ghost story, unexpectedly, and presented from a very original viewpoint. I thought it was gripping because the villain is so puny, really, as a person. Reminds me of some of Conan Doyle's villains, who were quite weak people physically, morally, and spiritually, and for that reason were capable of really dreadful impulsive acts.

Whatever the merit of the stories themselves, as character studies they are masterful. Well worth reading to see how it's done.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

terrific, psychological and weird - classic British fiction set in boarding houses by the beach

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky little tales, very British. All slow burners.

[Cooper Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

In terms of writing style, four stars. Two interesting character studies as monologue, more or less, and one very fine "horror" story.