First Love, Last Rites

These stories explore the dark corners of human nature, where boredom, perversity, and loneliness can lead to murder.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 208 pages
\n Publication date: 04 October 2018
\n Publisher: Vintage Publishing
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These tales, which are taut, brooding, and intensely atmospheric, vividly depict the ways in which boredom, perversity, and adolescent curiosity can lead to murder, while also suggesting that sheer evil may be the only recourse for those plagued by unbearable loneliness.

In "The Tell-Tale Heart," a narrator who suffers from an unnamed mental disorder becomes obsessed with an old man's eye and eventually murders him, claiming that he heard the eyeball "beat" against the wall in the middle of the night. The story explores the dark corners of the human psyche and the lengths to which someone will go to satisfy their obsessions.

In "The Yellow Wallpaper," a woman is confined to a room with yellow wallpaper, which she believes is suffocating her. She becomes increasingly paranoid and delusional, and eventually destroys the wallpaper, only to find that she has been trapped in a room with no escape. The story explores the psychological effects of isolation and the dangers of losing one's sense of self.

In "The Turn of the Screw," a governess is hired to care for two children at a remote estate. She begins to suspect that the children are being haunted by the ghosts of the estate's former residents, and eventually becomes convinced that one of the children is possessed by a demon. The story explores the supernatural and the boundaries between reality and illusion.

In "The Cask of Amontillado," a wealthy man invites a friend to his wine cellar for a private tasting. He reveals his plan to murder his friend and bury him in the wine cellar, using a cask of Amontillado as a means of trapping him. The story explores the themes of revenge, greed, and the nature of human cruelty.

In "The Raven," a poet is haunted by a mysterious bird that visits him every night. The bird brings him messages, which eventually lead him to the death of his beloved wife. The story explores the themes of loss, grief, and the supernatural.

\n Weight: 190g\n
Dimension: 190 x 135 x 16 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781784703608\n \n