The title Switch Bitch (originally published in 1974) is likely to surprise bibliophiles and general audiences alike, for British author Roald Dahl is best-known for his children's books like The BFG. To that end, Switch Bitch is a collection of four short stories meant for adults - and adults alone. Entitled "The Visitor," "The Great Switcheroo," "The Last Act," and "Bitch," all four stories discuss sex and sexuality in some way. "The Last Act," for example, tells the story of a widowed woman who one day decides to get back together with an old flame. He has always been mad at the woman for breaking off their relationship and decides to exact his revenge on the woman.
Critics were deeply divided by Switch Bitch. Many felt that Dahl's stories were too mean and cruel and misogynistic. Although the collection had a number of defenders (including famed director Alfred Hitchcock), many didn't care for the book. Kirkus Reviews, for example, didn't really care for the collection. In their review, they wrote that the collection is "Modestly diverting — but one misses the imaginative flair and the truly tapered touch of evil synonymous with Dahl at his malevolent worst-best."
