31 Hours

(Paperback)

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Description

John, Doug, Ste, and Neil work on the railways. They won't sell you a ticket and they dont drive a train. What happens when you have to clean up the worst day of someone elses life Every 31 hours someone takes their own life on the railways in the U.K rail network. It is ten times more likely to be a man. 31 Hours is the story of four men who are employed to clean up after rail suicides. It is the story of four men at work. Four men at home. Four men dealing with their own lives. Their own problems. Dealing with them in their own way. On their own. Silently. It is a story of four men failing to talk. 31 Hours starts with Neil being taken on for the job. The four main characters play the members of the Network Rail 'specialist cleaning branch', trying to grasp they suicide scenes they see, but also swap into other roles, telling the stories of men who have killed themselves through depression, family breakdown and post-traumatic stress. Filled with humour and humanity, it is a high-speed kaleidoscopic journey through masculinity, mental health and messy aftermaths in modern Britain.

Reviews

31 Hours isnt for the faint-hearted. Hearing the stories behind the jumpers will leave you shocked, moved, even traumatised, but there is a lot of warmth and black humour in the groups relationship to offset its darkest moments. 31 Hours is well-written, deeply absorbing & tackles a delicate subject with an emotional sensitivity.' Stage Review

Author Bio

Kieran Knowles trained at Loughborough University and LAMDA, and completed the Royal Court Young Writers Programme. His debut play Operation Crucible was first performed at the Finborough Theatre before transferring to the Sheffield Crucible and touring with House. He has also been under commission from Sheffield Crucible.