Smacked

Smacked and other stories of addiction is an evocative collection of moments showcasing human nature at its weakest and most vulnerable. Hecq’s poetic prose situates the reader firmly into the lives of her characters, taking them along for the ride as she presents each story with an inimitable flair that retains the realities of addiction and dependency. She handles each moment of fixation with a respect and delicacy that are fitting for such weighty themes, while still doing justice to the physical and mental ramifications and side effects of what some might call mere obsession. Immerse yourself as each story invites you to slide down the slippery slope of these characters’ most raw and hidden selves. Smacked is a moving collection of stories about addiction told with heart-stopping narrative control and emotional resonance. — Roanna Gonsalves, 2021 Carmel Digital Literary Award judge Runner-Up, 2021 Carmel Digital Literary Award Hecq writes playfully and with irony, thrumming prose and poetry in self-aware stories gravid with familiar yet unfamiliar protagonists and their dented victims or saviours. Smacked and other stories of addiction is a tight rope of connections and metaphors, the reader walking on tiptoe with a balancing pole, yet at the same time craving a haircut or a quince. —Eugen Bacon, author of Claiming T-Mo and The Road to Woop Woop & Other Stories DOMINIQUE HECQ grew up in Belgium. She now lives in Melbourne. Hecq writes across genres and sometimes across tongues. Her works include a novel, four collections of stories and eleven books of poetry. Tracks (2020) and Songlines (2021) are her latest offerings. With Eugen Bacon, she co-authored Speculate (2021), a microlit dialogue.