The umbrella man by Roald Dahl

This is a non-fiction story written by Roald Dahl, the famous British short story writer. The main characters are a strange but good-looking polite man, a middle aged woman and her twelve year-old daughter. The story takes place somewhere in the streets of London on a rainy day.

The woman and her daughter are walking in the street when a gentleman approaches them and asks them if they could lend him some money to pay for a taxi back home as he has forgotten his jacket with his wallet at his house. The man offers his umbrella in exchange for the money, which the woman accepts although she feels suspicious. Immediately after that, the man runs away. Where is he going? What is he going to do with the money?

Many of Roald Dahl stories are related to robberies or situations like this, like the hitchhiker, for instance. Both are well written in a clever way.

This is a very interesting story and I recommend it to everyone. You will surely have a great time reading it and it doesn’t get boring at any time. Some of the characters are mysterious and weird, so this creates a feeling of suspense which is something not many writers can truly depict.


Maru Olivares Ashef and Mateo Arce - Pre-FCE2 - Melipal