Collected short stories, Roald Dahl

for those who only know about his children books, R.Dahl is also an amazing writer for a more mature audience.
I guess his name came back to my mind when I heard that "Charlie and the chocolate factory" is in production for a movie by director Tim Burton with Johnny Depp.... I can't wait to see that movie, it should be amazingly good. Check it out here (wouhou, that's a bit fancay!!)
Anyway, I also remembered reading one of the short stories, "Lamb to the slaughter" for my creative writing class in the states, so I thought I would read the whole lot.
I'm not disappointed at all, although I wasn't expecting to be either. R.D. is such a good writer, the stories are all quite macabre, full of unexpected twists and black humour. Either near the middle or at the end, the story is completely twisted and turned to another direction without ever being able to predict how, when and what might happen. As any good short story should be, they are never quite finished, or they are open-ended, leaving the liberty to the reader to reflect on it, interpret it or imagine what might happen next.
I haven't finished it yet although I intend to on the plane, since i'll have plenty of time for that. So far, some stories have made me smile, but not a wide open showing every teeth smile, more like how you would smile when something very ironic happens, a grin really, more than a smile, but some and especially one are just haunting and ask so many questions about life, love, how we treat others and how others might treat us in return.
The one that I have so far found the most powerful is entitled "Genesis and catastrophe".
It starts with a woman giving birth to a baby, a healthy little boy. The woman is very worried and scared and keeps asking if the baby will live as she and her husband have already lost three kids at different ages, always very young. She is very distressed and the doctor tries to reassure her. The husband described as an abusive drunk comes into the room and the doctor gives him the good news " it's a boy, herr Hitler" and this is obviously when the whole story becomes different.... Those parents who anyone would feel very sorry for about their tragic loss, suddenly become the parents of Adolf Hitler and the eye of the viewer changes right away. While 5 lines sooner you were hoping and wishing that the baby would live and they could be a happy family, it is then impossible not to see that baby as what he will become later, one of the worst things that have ever happened in the world. But is this baby responsible for that? Is the viewer allowed to wish the death of that new-born baby and more sadness and misery in the lives of those parents? The last line is the mother saying "oh god, please god, let him live, let him live........." That was cruel Roald, it really was, it's still sending chills down my spine when i think about it. I think that this is the purpose of a good short story though, asking questions that have no answer, letting the mind wander but without the ability to draw rigid conclusions, just accepting that things happen after the last line.
All the stories aren't like that, otherwise I woud be very distressed myself, I don't think I can handle another "Genesis and catastrophe" too soon, but one thing is sure, seldom are the ones that aren't intriguing, disturbing and exciting, and all are incredebly well written.