First published 1996
Mike McCormack crafts stories that peer into the darkest corners of human experience. His characters navigate landscapes where death lurks at every turn and relationships twist into unrecognizable shapes. McCormack writes with surgical precision, using minimal words to maximum effect. Each sentence cuts clean and deep. His protagonists find themselves trapped in situations that reveal how quickly normalcy can collapse into something monstrous. The stories examine what happens when people push past conventional boundaries, when desire curdles into obsession, when love becomes possession. McCormack refuses to look away from humanity's capacity for degradation. He documents the slow rot that can consume individuals and the bonds between them. The prose remains controlled even as the subject matter spirals toward chaos. These are not stories that offer comfort or easy resolution. They force readers to confront uncomfortable truths about what lies beneath civilized surfaces.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, suspense, horror, psychological-thriller, dark
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: dark-themes, intimate, psychological
256 pages · Paperback · Random House UK
Content warnings: abuse, violence