To Be Read at Dusk by Charles Dickens (1852)

Title: To Be Read at Dusk

Author: Charles Dickens

Publication Year: 1852

Rating: ⭐⭐

Pages: 58

Source: audiobook @storytel.tr

Genre: short story, horror, paranormal, gothic

“To Be Read at Dusk” by Charles Dickens is a short story that takes the reader through three narrative frames, ultimately centering on a group of five couriers swapping ghost stories as twilight falls. The men seem determined to outdo one another, each insisting that his tale is more terrifying, more authentic, and more spine-chilling than the last. It quickly starts to feel less like a ghost story and more like a contest—call it the Victorian version of "Who Can Scare the Group the Most?"

While Dickens masterfully sets the gothic atmosphere, the story itself left me somewhat underwhelmed. Instead of being drawn in by the horror, I found myself picturing these men as if they were in a pub, each raising the stakes with every new tale, eager to claim the title of King of the Campfire. The stories-within-the-story are intriguing, but the competitive bravado of the storytellers overshadows the actual chills. In the end, it's less a night of terror and more of a friendly (if slightly boastful) showdown. Entertaining? Yes, but perhaps not as haunting as advertised. Maybe I should have listened to Dickens and read it at Dusk to feel the chill! Or maybe it was the audiobook!