What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hitchhiker
The Hitchhiker is a short story from Roald Dahl, often published within
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More (1977)
.
The story features a man who picks up a hitchhiker whilst driving to London. This tale proves that in a pinch, a professional pickpocket can be the perfect pal.
The story features a man who picks up a hitchhiker whilst driving to London. This tale proves that in a pinch, a professional pickpocket can be the perfect pal.
Unknown Binding
First published September 12, 1977
About the author
Roald Dahl
1,549 books27.5k followersRoald Dahl was a beloved British author, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter pilot, best known for his enchanting and often darkly humorous children's books that have captivated generations of readers around the world. Born in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Dahl led a life marked by adventure, tragedy, creativity, and enduring literary success. His vivid imagination and distinctive storytelling style have made him one of the most celebrated children's authors in modern literature.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
November 9, 2018
Excellent little tale of punishment and crime! Roald Dahl always has little 'corkscrew' twists that bore into your mind; what you thought you knew is never right - and you have to process perception and reality anew. Looking at RD body of work is truly amazing: one of the widest ranges of any author I have ever read.
June 27, 2017
The Hitchhiker was very entertaining and actually scary. There was some violence that was very unexpected in this story and the whole story definitely kept me on my toes.
February 27, 2024
Get yourself a fingersmith who gets you in trouble but also makes sure to get you out of the pit ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
April 24, 2017
Siempre es un gusto leer a Roald <3
March 16, 2018
Strange...
November 5, 2018
4 stars
May 6, 2021
An interesting little tale that subverts the initial expectations of the audience; when the protagonist picks up the titular ‘hitch-hiker’ you are led to believe he has ulterior, perhaps sinister motives, however by the end of the story you quickly realise he actually helps the protagonist. Whilst it certainly isn’t the best Dahl short story, the descriptions and dialogue are vividly emotive and make the text a must-read for fans of the Welsh author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2019
25october2019
read as part of the collection the wonderful story of henry sugar and six more.
read as part of the collection the wonderful story of henry sugar and six more.
November 30, 2020
Everybody craves for appreciation :)
Fantastic story ...
Fantastic story ...
November 5, 2023
چه رفیق هم شدن!
توقع داشتم اگه قرار نیست بکشتش، دیگه ته تهش ماشینشو بدزده یا چیزی .
توقع داشتم اگه قرار نیست بکشتش، دیگه ته تهش ماشینشو بدزده یا چیزی .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2025
Witty and kinda fun with a neat little twist I didn't see coming.
December 3, 2018
A unique look at a slice of life not always seen. A great read fast paced and totally enjoyable.
August 8, 2026
Using “fingersmith” for forever now.
Dahl, you’re a crafty buggar!
Dahl, you’re a crafty buggar!
November 24, 2018
interesting short story, highly recommend for anyone looking for a quick read~
October 9, 2018
I really enjoyed this. The two characters have very distinct voices, and their interactions were interesting. I kept expecting there to be a strange twist but, still good.
October 28, 2018
Slightly freaky. It’s got some elements of suspense in it as you just don’t know what’s going to happen but overall, the story feels shallow. I was expected so much more from the creator of Willy Wonker but I guess you can’t always make masterpieces.
December 4, 2017
Review to come
December 30, 2017
i love heist and friendship stories like this one!
January 22, 2021
I’ve a new word added to my vocabulary now — FINGERSMITH!
August 31, 2023
The book is about the narrator who picks up a hitchhiker while driving to London. The narrator describes his as a small ratty-faced man with grey teeth. They once have a bet on whether the fancy car of the narrator can go 129 miles an hour. However, as the car is doing 120 miles an hour, they are caught by a policeman riding on a motorcycle for speeding. Although the passengers the hitchhiker, has done nothing wrong, the police officer claims that he will do a checking up on the hitchhiker later simple because he does not like his face. What both the narrator and the police officer do not know is how marvellous and fantastic the fingers of the hitchhiker are. When they are going on with their journey after the little episode, the hitchhiker reveals that he has stolen the policeman’s books with their names recorded. Therefore, the police officer can never find them , and they do not need to worry about being sent to prison no more.
In fact, I was deeply impressed by the hitchhiker’s skilful fingers and what he did. It was so astonishing that his fingers solved the big trouble. It seemed to me that his fingers were able to do anything. Meanwhile, I noticed the great contrast between the appearance and the competence possessed by the hitchhiker. Although his appearance left a poor impression on the readers, his ability was wonderful. For this reason, I realised that outward appearance could be deceiving, and one should never judge people by their looks alone. Besides, I also understood that one should not judge people too harshly if he or she had not known them well. All, in all, the book was interesting and taught me a lot
In fact, I was deeply impressed by the hitchhiker’s skilful fingers and what he did. It was so astonishing that his fingers solved the big trouble. It seemed to me that his fingers were able to do anything. Meanwhile, I noticed the great contrast between the appearance and the competence possessed by the hitchhiker. Although his appearance left a poor impression on the readers, his ability was wonderful. For this reason, I realised that outward appearance could be deceiving, and one should never judge people by their looks alone. Besides, I also understood that one should not judge people too harshly if he or she had not known them well. All, in all, the book was interesting and taught me a lot
July 27, 2022
কর্মকার, স্বর্ণকার ইত্যাদি পেশার নাম শুনলেও আঙ্গুলীকার বলে কিছু বাপের জন্মে শুনেছেন?
ছুঁচোর মতো চেহারা আর ইঁদুরের মতো কুতকুতে কিন্তু বুদ্ধিদীপ্ত চোখের মাইকেল হিচহাইকার হিসেবে লিফট নেন লেখকের বিলাসবহুল গাড়িতে। একথা সেকথায় কথা গড়াতে গড়াতে আপনি থেকে তুমিতে নেমে এল সম্বোধন। তবে এত কথার মাঝেও সে তার পেশার ব্যাপারে ঠিক ঝেড়ে কাশছিলেন না। মাইকেলের চিকন আর খাপছাড়া হাতের সাফাইয়ের কাজ দেখে অবশেষে বুঝতে পারলেন ব্যাটা পকেটমার ছাড়া আর কিছু নয়, তাই বলতে এত সংকোচ। কিন্তু এ উপাধি তিনি মানবেন কেন? তিনবেলা পুলিশের প্যাঁদানি খাওয়া; গরীব, মহিলা বাছবিচার না করা ছ্যাঁচড় পকেটমার তিনি নন। তার সাফাইয়ের শৈল্পিক কায়দা এমন উচ্চমার্গীয় যে আপনার কপাটি থেকে বাঁধানো দাঁত খুলে নিয়ে আসবে অথচ আপনি টেরটি মাত্র পাবেন না। কাড়িকাড়ি টাকার মালিক হয়ে ঘোড় দৌড়ে বাজি ধরে টাকা নষ্ট করা বেকুবদেরই তিনি শুধু টার্গেট করেন, সে মতে ডার্বিই তার কর্মস্থল। নিজ পেশায় এমন স্বাক্ষরতার ছাপ রাখা মানুষদের তো আলাদা একটা কদর আছেই তাদের গন্ডিতে, তাই না?
তাই তিনি একজন আঙ্গুলীকার, এই যাকে বলে Fingersmith...
দারুণ বই! অডিওবুক হিসেবে শোনাটা বেশি মজার ছিল, ইংলিশ ফাইন ওয়াইন বাঙালী বোতলে ভরে গেলায় টেস্টবাডের সাথে মিলছিল। আর হিউমারগুলো একেবারে ঠিক জায়গায় গিয়ে লাগছিল। কৃতজ্ঞ গুণীর গুণ আর কৃতজ্ঞতা দুইয়েই যখন আপনি মুগ্ধ পথ চলতে চলতে অমন পকেটমারও থুড়ি আঙ্গুলীকারও আপনার বন্ধু হয়ে উঠতে পারে বৈকি।
ছুঁচোর মতো চেহারা আর ইঁদুরের মতো কুতকুতে কিন্তু বুদ্ধিদীপ্ত চোখের মাইকেল হিচহাইকার হিসেবে লিফট নেন লেখকের বিলাসবহুল গাড়িতে। একথা সেকথায় কথা গড়াতে গড়াতে আপনি থেকে তুমিতে নেমে এল সম্বোধন। তবে এত কথার মাঝেও সে তার পেশার ব্যাপারে ঠিক ঝেড়ে কাশছিলেন না। মাইকেলের চিকন আর খাপছাড়া হাতের সাফাইয়ের কাজ দেখে অবশেষে বুঝতে পারলেন ব্যাটা পকেটমার ছাড়া আর কিছু নয়, তাই বলতে এত সংকোচ। কিন্তু এ উপাধি তিনি মানবেন কেন? তিনবেলা পুলিশের প্যাঁদানি খাওয়া; গরীব, মহিলা বাছবিচার না করা ছ্যাঁচড় পকেটমার তিনি নন। তার সাফাইয়ের শৈল্পিক কায়দা এমন উচ্চমার্গীয় যে আপনার কপাটি থেকে বাঁধানো দাঁত খুলে নিয়ে আসবে অথচ আপনি টেরটি মাত্র পাবেন না। কাড়িকাড়ি টাকার মালিক হয়ে ঘোড় দৌড়ে বাজি ধরে টাকা নষ্ট করা বেকুবদেরই তিনি শুধু টার্গেট করেন, সে মতে ডার্বিই তার কর্মস্থল। নিজ পেশায় এমন স্বাক্ষরতার ছাপ রাখা মানুষদের তো আলাদা একটা কদর আছেই তাদের গন্ডিতে, তাই না?
তাই তিনি একজন আঙ্গুলীকার, এই যাকে বলে Fingersmith...
দারুণ বই! অডিওবুক হিসেবে শোনাটা বেশি মজার ছিল, ইংলিশ ফাইন ওয়াইন বাঙালী বোতলে ভরে গেলায় টেস্টবাডের সাথে মিলছিল। আর হিউমারগুলো একেবারে ঠিক জায়গায় গিয়ে লাগছিল। কৃতজ্ঞ গুণীর গুণ আর কৃতজ্ঞতা দুইয়েই যখন আপনি মুগ্ধ পথ চলতে চলতে অমন পকেটমারও থুড়ি আঙ্গুলীকারও আপনার বন্ধু হয়ে উঠতে পারে বৈকি।
August 31, 2023
I love the fact that that you have to guess what would happen if the story continues. Are the cop and the pickpocket (though he calls himself a fingersmith instead,) working together? He did say “You won’t be driving your car for a long time when we’re finished with you.” He also seemed to be acting. He was a bit too much of a jerk to not be suspicious. And at the end, why did the pickpocket want them to pull over to burn the papers? You could do that in the car by using a lighter, and throwing them out the window. I personally think that after they pulled over, the pickpocket says something like “Oh, I forgot the lighter back in the car,” and goes and drives off in the man’s car. This ending may also be hinted at early in the story when the pickpocket steals things that are very precious to him, like his wedding ring. And at the beginning the man talks about how much he loves his car. The man also goads the main character into driving the fastest his car can go, 130 miles per hour, so maybe he did that because it was planned that that particular policeman would stop them. Also, great imagery and description of the man being like a rat! I suspected something was up with him as soon as he was described like that.
September 4, 2023
A man picks up a hitchhiker who gets him into big trouble. Roald Dahl can be a slightly nasty writer, and this one is definitely a bit on the nasty side, but it is funny. The big secret that the hitchhiker is hiding is a little obvious, and it didn’t take long before I guessed correctly what that was, but other than that, it is a very well built up story that I enjoyed.
September 1, 2024
Summary: This work was originally a radio play, and it traces the journey of a man as he drives across the country. Along his journey, he keeps seeing the same hitchhiker pop up on the side of the road, and he begins to wonder what on Earth could be going on. This exciting work will draw you in and possibly leave you with more questions than you had when you started.
December 21, 2022
Jeff and I listened to this one together and we both laughed out loud. We thought it was a very funny ending. More innocent than several others in the collection "Henry Sugar and Six More". The reader had a funny voice for the hitchhiker.
December 6, 2018
finger smith LOL
what a fantastic short story...i didn't want it to end.
what a fantastic short story...i didn't want it to end.
December 7, 2018
Such a fun listen.
December 26, 2018
I never know how to feel about Dahl's stories for adults. They are seriously messed up and creepy. Nevertheless, they are really well written so all the stars go to that.
January 25, 2019
The Hitch-Hiker is a story about "me" and
July 1, 2019
A delightful short story
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews