Four prison inmates are thrown randomly together during recreation time, to play scrabble, with the added zing of occasionally telling stories about a word on the board. The stories reveal their characters and histories, but the scrabble itself is a mere transient remission from the vagaries and harshness of prison life, which continues unabated around them and through them.
We are party to a voyage through calm settled waters of support, camaraderie and story-telling, to storms of violence, abuse and abject despair in a rigid, alien and unforgiving environment. We feel the emotions of the highs and lows of prison life through the victimisation, determination and hope of our players, who ultimately all show resilience in one way or another.
It is a fable about humanity, garnered with wit, insight and encouragement, with a little whodunnit? thrown in for good measure.
The author is a retired police officer who has had a lot of life experience. He was married to his first wife for thirty years and they raised four children. Following a divorce, he married again and divorced just three years later. Apart from writing, and pouring out his heart, he plays the piano, loves gardening and has carried out a lot of DIY building projects in his spare time. He is a ‘people person’, and has always taken a keen interest in behavioural psychology and relationships.