I've been desperate to get my hands on a copy of Vincent Delecroix's novella Small Boat since it was shortlisted for the Booker prize earlier this year, so when I saw that Live Theatre were doing a production based on the book, I jumped at the opportunity. As is to be expected from Live's creative team, it was a beautifully crafted piece that packed quite a punch in just an hour.

It gives a fictional account of a coast guard who did nothing to help a sinking boat full of migrants calling for help in the Channel. She lied to them, telling them that help was coming when she had sent none, and all but two of them drowned.

In a time when people frequently try to make asylum seekers into a logic problem, this play consistently reminds its audience of the dangers of forgetting empathy. The coast guard refuses to acknowledge her part in the tragedy, stressing that empathy is not a requirement of her job. Her unapologetic, immoveable monologue makes you want to scream, and that's exactly why it's so powerfully written.

The nature of this production being just a reading of the work detracted from the piece's power slightly, in my opinion. I would love to see this be developed into a more dynamic and engaging performance, rather than simply pieces of paper being read on stage, but the foundations are all there. It's an urgent, teeth-grinding, necessary production, and I hope it can be shown again and again.

Lily Tibbitts