The Writers

In the City, it is widely known that free will does not exist. Instead, there is the Compound: a mysterious place where the Writers dictate the lives, loves and losses of everyone in the City. Little is known about them, except that they never enter or leave the Compound, and that they have been there for longer than living memory can recall.

Penelope Ingeld was destined from birth to be a side character, living in the shadow of designated protagonist (and her best friend) Lillian.

What she didn't bargain for is Lillian dying before their story had even begun.

Whether at the hands of a rogue Writer, a twist in the plot or - the simplest, yet most groundbreaking explanation - a demonstration that the Writers cannot control everything, the fact remains that Lillian is dead. And now Penelope must step into her shoes, unsure whether her actions are truly her own even as she attempts to discover the truth behind the Writers and the City. However, the discoveries she makes about herself and her world are something she never could have imagined...