Living like common people

Living Like Common People is a collection of seventeen fictional, interlinked, short stories focusing on the protagonist Kevin Sullivan. The characters within Kevin's circle of intimate and professional associates provide accounts of his life. His decline into recidivism, the unraveling of his relationships and the increased brutality of his crimes are set within the gloom of the prison walls and the small community he inhabits during the short periods of his release. The stories explore these relationships and provide a description of the sub-groups which make up the prison population. The aim is to explore the nature of character motivation and the essence of violence. The exegesis explores the sociological ideas of punishment and sexual violence as well as the themes of retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, deterrence and recidivism evident in the short stories. It also examines the role of prison narrative as a vehicle of reform, which makes it a compelling and vital genre.