From the beginning of Three Eight One, I couldn’t stop reading. I read it in the vet’s office, from the front seat of countless car rides, and in stolen moments before bed. I found myself constantly wanting to know what came next. Whiteley has created a speculative masterpiece. When you think you have it figured out, the next chapter completely changes the shape of the characters and alters the narrative structure. Three Eight One is superb genre-blending speculative fiction, and I have no doubt it will be on of list of my favorite books of the year. 

Amazon / Goodreads

Synopsis:

An astonishing literary crossover novel about the pressures of growing up and the nature of authorship.

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 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 as with the quest itself, it’s the journey that matters.

Review:

Three Eight One is a story within a story. It opens in 2314, where a curator of the twenty-first-century internet uncovers a story posted online in 2024. That archived story is about Fairly. Fairly’s story is set in a world that’s somewhere between a fantasy world and a dystopian version of our own. When Fairly is chosen as a Quester, she must leave her hometown to travel the mysterious Horned Road. The rest of Three Eight One follows Fairly as she travels across foreign lands, spends what little money and goodwill she has, and encounters mystical creatures called Cha. Along the way, Fairly is taunted and followed by a terrifying being known only as the Breathing Man.

Three Eight One is a story about being on the precipice of adulthood. It’s about making decisions, sometimes regretting those decisions, and learning about yourself in the process. It’s about chasing away your demons, running away from them, and learning you are better off living with them in the end.  

If you like clean endings and well-divined themes, Three Eight One is likely not for you. Three Eight One leans heavily into literary fiction and leaves much open for discussion and debate. While I think I picked up on some of the themes, it is impossible to really know. For me, Three Eight One was a novel that dealt with mental health, anxiety, the lies of society, and even chronic health struggles. I firmly believe this is a book that will have different meanings for different readers, though.

This book might be for you if:

• you like cross-genre titles that blend literary fiction and SFF.
• you enjoy fantasy adventure stories with young adults from small towns who go on a quest.
• you’re into journeys that cross cities, caverns, mountains, and maybe even go into space.
• you like themes of mental health in your books.

Final Thoughts:

I loved this novel. The combination of literary fiction, fantasy, and science fiction worked so well for me. Fairly’s fantastical journey and the themes within it made this a perfect read for me.

Rating: 5+/5 Stars. Incredible. I wouldn’t be surprised to find this among my top reads of the year come December.

Thanks to Solaris for providing an advanced review copy. All the above thoughts are my own.

Challenges:

#COYER