White Trash is the fifth novel written by English author John King, published in 2002. Set in a new town, it records the world as seen through the eyes of a hard-working ward nurse, Ruby James, and a sinister, money-obsessed administrator, Jonathan Jeffries, who works at her hospital.
Their paths rarely cross, but the calculating, hard-hearted outlook of Jeffries begins to have terrible ramifications, and Ruby becomes entangled in his web when she begins to have suspicions about the consequences of his actions.
Working class Ruby manages to keep her dignity, sense of humour and sanity despite a life of daily struggle that includes wrestling with the pain of having a mother with Alzheimers and living on a salary that barely helps her get by. Her unfailingly positive and inclusive take on life is a mirror image of the vindictive, exclusive viewpoint of the handsomely-paid Jeffries, who spends his hours in the glow of a computer screen and prefers the company of statistics to human beings.
Jeffries’ existence is about cold, calculating ‘reason’, staggering snobbishness and an obsession with the rationing of healthcare that leads him to make depraved life and death decisions. Ruby’s is about touch, feel and emotion, treating her patients with respect while living out her unspoken belief that everyone, whatever their background, has an equal right to care and attention. She is the roots of the National Health Service, while Jeffries epitomises the throughput-obsessed, accountancy-driven outlook that King clearly believes is a danger to the future of free healthcare in Britain.
The book also dips into the lives of various characters who are considered worthless 'white trash' by the establishment but who actually offer far more to society than those who look down on them. Through these vignettes, as well as the main focus on the contrast between Ruby James and John Jeffries, King establishes that there is no such thing as 'white trash' and that everyone is worth something, no matter their background or condition.
Alan Sillitoe, author of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, said of White Trash that it is 'complete and unique, all stitched up and marvellous, the two sides of the equation brought together, realistic yet philosophical.’
In an interview in Nursing Times, King said: 'The point of White Trash is that there is no white trash. Everyone is worth something and no-one can be dismissed. That's what we have to remember when it comes to the National Health Service.' He conceded that he could be accused of portraying Ruby as the cliched nurse as 'angel' but added: 'Why not be a bit extreme? I know it's also the cliche of male rationalism against women's spirituality, but there's no reason you have to balance things out.'