Nail and Other Stories

Laura Hird

This collection of bleak short stories examines the weirder, nastier side of life. Its dysfunctional characters are into necrophilia, paedophilia, arson and other obsessions. It captures the anger and fearfulness of people on the edge of madness, and cleverly and creepily leads the reader to a realisation of what's going on.

Extract

She was sitting in the car watching his house when she first saw his slut. They'd spoken several times but that was before her ex had gone ex-directory. When she used to phone after he'd first left, she'd hang up when the slut anwered but soon rejected this silent endurance and let her have it a few times. It was her right. Let the bitch know what it's like to lose someone you've spent half your life with.

Parallels