Life and Smells

From birth to death, smells are an integral part of life. Smells can bring into the mind strong feelings as to what has happened in the past, be associated with body functions, stimulate your appetite and be part of everyday living. These eighteen stories will stimulate you into thinking of the effects that smells have had, and will have on your life in the future. A range of human relationships is described as affected by different odours which have been produced. In these stories, there are sometimes terrible reactions induced in the people involved: jealousy, rage, disgust, the urge for revenge, panic and unbridled passion. Some of Bill Lean's characters cannot perform without the aid of a bovine pong ('A Fetish'). Others use sniffs to restrain clients whilst 'working' ('The Repellant'). Some are disturbed by the smell of fire or barbecues; others are betrayed by dogs, or the grisly contents of a bedroom cupboard ('Hiding the Stench'). In the first story, Janet turns a disadvantage of having a unique smelling ability into an advantage. More reactions to smells are described. After you have read these stories, you are likely to think more about the effect of smells in your life.