Special Treatment & Other Stories

Mark Swain describes these 12 short stories as: short excursions into the lives of others. In each story we find ourselves transported – thoroughly absorbed. We are in there. Some places we think we recognise, while others are unfamiliar, or often mysteriously familiar. There are dark corners and things to fear, but they are our own fears. Most of all we find humour – poignant and frequently ironic. The locations are illuminated for us. Vivid images come to life; the atmospheres; the smells and sounds. But it is the characters we are drawn to: A divorcee hairdresser who dotes on her son. A resentful victim of a construction-site accident. An elderly man victimised by political activists. A boy’s summer job. Lovers. Adventurers. Workers. Travellers. Prisoners. They open their lives to us and we are let into their secrets.

"There is an authenticity to Mark Swain’s characters that can leave the reader feeling almost like a voyeur. We feel privileged. We know them; care about their plight; laugh and cry with them. We can certainly never forget them."