Preview of Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: The Country Stories of Roald Dahl Summary:

Gambling and risk-taking appear repeatedly in Dahl's work, most centrally in "Mr. Feasey." Once again, Claud has cooked up a scheme to run dogs and win that would make his father proud. Having discovered ringers—two dogs that appear to be identical—Claud first races the slower dog which comes in last place, then waits for the perfect opportunity to bring in the ringer that will not only win the race but upset the betting odds. The narrator is the one who will work with Claud to bet and collect the money for a profitable turn.

Although one might consider this the classic storyline of the trickster getting tricked, one does not simply laugh at Claud's ruse and admire the cunning of Feasey. As hard as the individual tries to beat the system—in this case, Claud's attempt to outwit the odds of winning at...