Penelope Skinner: 6 books

'Looking out over the country, this country, where I was born and raised, I wonder what's going to become of us. Because this can't be the future, can it? Everyone just... changing the rules?' Roger thinks the world's gone mad. He hates his job, his ex-wife torments him and to top it all, his...

Isn't she gorgeous? Hardly been ridden. She's been in the garage just gathering dust. Becky's pregnant and frustrated. But her husband is more interested in the baby manual than her new underwear, so she turns to the porn stash under the bed. As the summer heats up, a brief encounter sends...

Laughing. Talking. Hours in cafes drinking coffee. Chatting about boys. Girls. Romance. Sharing a plate of chips. It was one of those friendships...I don't know how to explain...like...Love. Cabaret singer Foxie O'Hara vanished two weeks ago from Mrs Whistle's Lodge. That very same night, Foxie's...

In a society where private lives become political and freedom of expression is not an option, Irene finds herself imprisoned. As tales of her incarceration spread overseas and her growing exposure becomes a threat, she is forced to make a brutal decision. Penelope Skinner's new play is a haunting...

In Fred’s American Diner on a busy English motorway, people dream of better lives. You’ll find friendly staff and get service with a smile, but not far beneath lies a deadly secret. Penelope Skinner’s new play serves up a beautifully plotted, blackly comic thriller that gives an unsettling portrayal of the darker reaches of intimate relationships.

What on earth is happening to our planet? And who knows what to do? Certainties are few: every living thing is related to every other living thing; our actions have consequences; change is continual and inevitable. The National Theatre asked four of the country's most exciting writers to investigate....