A Voice Beyond the Plot

Claire senses she lives inside a novel as an insignificant background character. Suffering vocal‑cord damage, she stays mostly silent. In senior year, she sits next to Adrian, the story’s supposed villain. Brash on the surface, Adrian opens up only to her. He accompanies her through speech therapy and helps her break free from her oppressive family. As the plot falls apart, they defy fate and build their own bright future.