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Three Eight One
Three Eight One | Aliya Whiteley
2 posts | 2 read | 1 to read
In January 2314, Rowena Savalas a curator of the vast archive of the twenty-first centurys primitive internet stumbles upon a story posted in the summer of 2024. Shes quickly drawn into the mystery of the text: Is it autobiography, fantasy or fraud? Whats 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 Fairlys quest, Rowena comes to question her own choices, and a predictable life of curation becomes one of exploration, adventure and love. As both womens stories draw to a close, she realises it doesnt matter whether the story is true or not: as with the quest itself, its the journey that matters.
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review
julesG
Three Eight One | Aliya Whiteley
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Mehso-so

I might not be the target audience for this story. I admire the structure of the book, the play with narrating in different tenses and narrator POVs, but I didn't exactly enjoy the reading experience.

The frame narrative is from Rowena's POV, she's a curator who has discovered a nearly three hundred year old manuscript from 2024. The manuscript tells Fairly's story, a girl who left her home to walk the Horned Road to find meaning in her life. ⬇️

julesG Her choices and musings are what make up each of her 381 word long entries in the manuscript. In the frame narrative Rowena builds a connection between her own life and Fairly's story by annotating the manuscript with many(!) footnotes. 2w
julesG Surrealist story telling. This might be one for you, @Leniverse 😉 2w
julieclair I'm probably not the target audience, either, but the premise sounds interesting. 2w
See All 7 Comments
Leniverse Surrealist AND footnotes! That sounds like it has potential. 2w
julesG @Leniverse but you should have read Skyward Inn first, to get a taste of Whiteley's weird 2w
julesG @julieclair That's what drew me in. 2w
Leniverse Skyward Inn is in a stack of books that I fully intend to read before the year is over. The stack is ridiculously big. It's more like three stacks. But the intent is there. 😅 2w
44 likes7 comments
review
IReadThereforeIBlog
Three Eight One | Aliya Whiteley
Mehso-so

Aliya Whiteley‘s standalone SF novel is a technically clever piece of writing (each section of Fairly‘s story is exactly 381 words) but its literary nature is one you either absolutely love or really don‘t dig. Sadly, I was in the latter camp as there isn‘t enough characterisation of Rowena or Fairly for me to engage with while the coming of age theme is under-developed and Fairly‘s story so thin that I couldn‘t understand Rowena‘s fascination.