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Jan Johnson asked this question about None of This Is True:
What was going on with the increasingly bad smell in Erin's room? I know she didn't want to see her mum, but what was going on there, I wonder?
Nicole Johnstone Many, many years ago I was staying with a friend in another City who had a housemate who was a hermit. He literally only came out of his room to get f…moreMany, many years ago I was staying with a friend in another City who had a housemate who was a hermit. He literally only came out of his room to get food and go to the bathroom. He would shower every 7 to 10 days and he would wash his clothes (that he wore for the whole time between showers) in the shower and dry them in his room. I wish I was exaggerating.

He kept his door closed all the time of course but like Josie describes, you can smell it under the door. On the odd occasion he did come out, the stench was overwhelming. It was like a gym full of men covered in stale sweat, mixed with sour milk and rotten eggs. To make it "better" he would hang air fresheners designed for cars in his room. Always vanilla scent so his room smelled like stale sweat, sour milk, rotten eggs and vanilla.

When Josie talked about the smell of Erin's room, I experience an olfactory memory- I could literally smell it! So that's what I interpreted the smell to be. The smell of an enclosed space with limited airflow and constant occupation by an unsanitary human.
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None of This Is True
by Lisa Jewell (Goodreads Author)
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