Prisons: A Novel

by Rob Edwards

Judith Higgins is a single mother. Her son Noah is on the spectrum and is about to be expelled from school because of his violent meltdowns. She reluctantly accepts an invitation from a nearby university to enroll Noah into an experimental program in which special needs children are cared for by select inmates from a correctional facility. This is where Delton Hayes enters their lives. Although Delton and Noah get off to a rocky start, they soon discover that what started as a seemingly insane social experiment turns out to be a life-changing experience. But when outside circumstances take a very bad turn, the three individuals are pulled apart. Their unique situation becomes a media circus, and they must try to put their broken lives back together again with the constant pressure of the whole world watching.

Unknown Binding

About the author

The majority of Rob Edwards working life has been in the video and film production world, giving him ample experience with storytelling and the creative process. He has written throughout his career and is now transforming his efforts to the page, rather than the screen.

Reviews

[Cari Noga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a twisty plot? Love characters you can root for? Read Prisons. I have a son with autism so I was drawn to the core premise, but there were other themes as well -- the power of family, work-home tradeoffs, the impact of racism. The author delivers a propulsive story in a compelling style, interspersing straight narrative with transcripts of media interviews and news stories (complete with comments. This was my first book by this author and I'll be looking for his others.