Three Eight One

The paperback release of 2024's astonishing literary scifi coming-of-age novel.

In January 2314, Rowena Savalas ? a curator of the vast archive of the twenty-first century?s primitive internet ? stumbles upon a story posted in the summer of 2024. She?s quickly drawn into the mystery of the text: Is it autobiography, fantasy or fraud? What?s the significance of the recurring number 381?

In the story, the protagonist Fairly walks the Horned Road ? a quest undertaken by youngsters in her village when they come of age. She is followed by the ?breathing man,? a looming presence, dogging her heels every step of the way. Everything she was taught about her world is overturned.

Following Fairly?s quest, Rowena comes to question her own choices, and a predictable life of curation becomes one of exploration, adventure and love. As both women?s stories draw to a close, she realises it doesn?t matter whether the story is true or not: as with the quest itself, it?s the journey that matters.