The second short ghost story I picked for December was Daphne Du Maurier’s, The Apple Tree. First of all, GREAT short story but not so much a ghost story…or what I would even consider “horror”. If you have read other works by Daphne Du Maurier, you won’t be surprised to realize that she is very careful about getting close to the supernatural without ever actually crossing that line.
I was reminder of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart throughout my reading of this. There is a clear physiological suspense where an unnamed and unreliable narrator starts to hone in on things that ultimately make him go insane. There is room here to discuss the supernatural aspects the author may or may not want us to acknowledge; however, one thing is for sure – it makes for a chilling story.
I encourage enough with a spare hour to give this a read! Highly recommend!