Title: Three Eight One

Author: Aliya Whiteley

Publisher: Solaris 2024

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 269

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Has futuristic technology; Clock

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.

A bit of a random find at the library. Someone had recommended it for people who were interested in strange speculative fiction with a focus on storytelling. Of course I grabbed it off the new release shelf. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to the premise. I was very interested in the story within the story. I wanted to tease out the meaning of Fairly’s story alongside Rowena. As the story starts spiraling, it felt like it just started to get more and more confused instead of revealing. By the end of the book, I didn’t have any revelations or insights into the nature of humans. Not my favorite.

Next up on the TBR pile: