White Trash
by John King
Ruby James lives life to the full, the state-run hospital where she works as a nurse a microcosm of the community in which she was born and bred. While some outsiders might label the people of this town "white trash," she knows different, reveling in a vibrant society that values people over money, actions above words. For Ruby, every person is unique and has a story to tell, whether it is skinhead taxi-driver Steve, retired teacher and rocker Pearl, magic-mushroom expert Danny Wax Cap, or former merchant seaman Ron Dawes. She encourages people to tell their tales, thrilled by the images created. Outside of work she drinks, dances, and has fun with her friends, at the same time dealing with her mother's Alzheimer's and a vision from the past, aware that physical and mental health are precious and easily lost. The epitome of positive thinking, Ruby sees the best in everyone—until the day true evil comes to call. A mystery figure roams the corridors of Ruby's state-run...