Penguin Books Ltd

Meursault is different. He will not lie. He will not pretend. He is true to himself. So when his mother dies and he is unmoved, he refuses to do the proper thing and grieve. Returning to Algiers after the funeral, he carries on life as usual until he becomes involved in a violent murder.

When Kino, an Indian pearl-diver, finds 'the Pearl of the world' he believes that his life will be magically transformed. He will marry Juana in church and their little boy, Coyotito, will be able to attend school. Obsessed by his dreams, Kino is blind to the greed, fear and even violence the pearl arouses in him and his neighbours.

A selection of ghost stories. From "The Old Nurse's Story" through to "Afterword", it covers the most terrifying tales of the genre. With a thoughtful introduction, and helpful notes, it places the stories contextually within the genre and elucidates the changing nature of the ghost story and how we interpret it.