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In this unforgettable new collection Tony Birch brings alive a cast of characters from all walks of life. These remarkable and surprising stories explore the lives of common people caught up in the everyday business of living and the struggle to survive. From a young girl who is gifted to a middle-class family for Christmas to a homeless deaf man who unexpectedly delivers a baby, Birch's stories are set in gritty urban refuges and struggling regional communities. His deftly drawn characters find unexpected signs of hope in a world where beauty can be found on every street corner - a message on a t-shirt, a friend in a stray dog, a star in the night sky - and the ordinary kindness of strangers can have extraordinary results. In Common People Birch turns his lens on shared experiences in modern society, his signature perceptivity affirming his position as one of Australia's finest writers of fiction.