Three Eight One

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

In 2314, Rowena Savalas stumbles upon a story posted to the internet in 2024. Is it an autobiography, fiction, fantasy? The protagonist Fairly walks the titular road, followed by the sinister breathing man, and her life is transformed; and as she reads, Rowena's life is transformed along with it. Whiteley at her most brilliant.

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.