W.W. Jacobs’s The Monkey’s Paw is a powerhouse of a short story, packing more suspense into a few pages than many full novels.

The Story

A retired couple, the Whites, and their grown son Herbert have a cozy night in disrupted by a visit from an old friend, Sergeant-Major Morris. He’s just back from India and has a strange souvenir: a dried-up monkey’s paw. He says it’s magic, that it grants three wishes to three different people. But his warnings are serious—the wishes come true, but in a twisted, awful way. He tries to throw it in the fire, but Mr. White snatches it out. After some joking around, the family makes a small, seemingly harmless wish for money. The next day, a man from the son’s workplace arrives at their door with tragic news. Their wish has been granted, but at a cost so horrific it shatters their world. In their grief, a second, desperate wish is made, leading to one of the most tense and unforgettable final scenes ever written.

Why You Should Read It

This story gets under your skin. Jacobs doesn’t need ghosts or monsters; the real horror is in the slow, creeping realization of what the characters have done to themselves. You feel the Whites’ cozy domestic life unravel with every line. The dialogue is sharp and real, which makes the supernatural intrusion hit even harder. It’s a perfect, brutal lesson about human nature—our greed, our grief, and our refusal to believe that something free could cost us everything.

Final Verdict

This is a must-read for anyone who loves a story that sticks with you. Perfect for a dark and stormy night, for fans of quiet psychological horror over gore, and for writers who want to see how to build unbearable tension with simple, clear prose. It’s short, so you have no excuse not to experience this classic chiller.