Spine [Paperback]

Winner of a Scotsman Fringe First Award 2015

Spine charts the explosive friendship between a ferocious, wise-cracking teenager and an elderly East End widow. Mischievous activist pensioner Glenda is hell-bent on leaving a political legacy and saving Amy from the Tory scrapheap because there's nothing more terrifying than a teenager with something to say. In this era of damaging coalition cuts and disillusionment, has politics forgotten people? Can we really take the power back? Amy is about to be forced to find out.

Clara Brennan is a playwright and TV drama writer.Bud Take The Wheel, I Feel A Song Coming Onwas Clara's first full-length play. It previewed at The Shaw Theatre, London and ran at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Underbelly in August 2010. Her short plays includeRainas part ofLough/Rainat the Underbelly and Theatre Royal York,Portmanteau with the Miniaturistsat the Arcola Theatre and Bike Shed Theatre, Exeter, andThe Curator for One Night Standat the Soho Theatre Studio. Clara is writer-in-residence at Reclaim Theatre, who are currently makingRaininto a short film. Clara's playHi Viswas part of the Theatre Uncut season at the Southwark Playhouse in March 2011.Spinewas part of Theatre Uncut 2012. Clara is currently adapting her playThe Beserkersinto a series for Channel 4.

A sharp, witty, angry piece about the galvanising power of knowledge. Financial Times

Heartfelt and life-affirming Herald (on Spine as part of Theatre Uncut)

This is a play - which isn't afraid to wear either its heart or its politics on its sleeve. Four stars - Lyn Gardner, Guardian

Brennan sets up a simple scenario: a young woman gets to know an elderly widow after thinking about renting a room from her. The room stays vacant, but the relationship blossoms over a mutual love of the old lady's haul of rescued library books. What emerges is a deeply huló”