Jonathan HillSubscribe

A novel, written in public

We Ruined Ourselves

A family story set in Alderbourne, a city built by corporations. The Ashworths have plenty to keep from the people they love.

Start reading Chapter OneWatch the film

25 chaptersFree to readWorking draft

A painted house on a hill at sunset, a winding path leading up to its glowing door. From the film of Chapter One.
From the film of Chapter One

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The first page

Seamless

A sweltering evening run ends in a cracked phone, a frozen account and a house Adam would rather not go home to.

Chapter One · v1 · 9 min readA working draft. It contains strong language, coercion and family violence.

Chapter OneSeamless

Adam came to a stop just outside The Meadows, bending over with exhaustion, holding his upper body with his arms pressed against his knees.

"Hell of a night for an evening run, Mr Ashworth" one of the Aegis security personnel said, stood outside the only entrance to The Meadows estate.

"Either I run, and get away from the missus, or...well...do you give alibis?" Adam quipped with a knowing smirk. It quickly vanished when he realised he was going home to an empty building. It had been like this for months, ever since his wife Eleanor was promoted.

"If CILLA wasn't listening, I'd give you an alibi no problem, Mr Ashworth" the guard turned to his colleague - sat inside the control room for the gate - and motioned for him to open it. He then turned back to Adam and wished him a peaceful evening.

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Chapters

25 chapters so far

  1. 01Seamless
  2. 02The Mirror
  3. 03Privacy Glass
  4. 04Page Five
  5. 05No Privacy Up Here
  6. 06Eighteen Years
  7. 07Removed from Contacts
  8. 08The Ninth of August
  9. 09Your Potential, Optimised
  10. 10Boardroom Adam
  11. 11The Emergency Bag
  12. 12Never Bite the Hand
  13. 13Broski
  14. 14Everyone's Secretary
  15. 15A Lovely Photo
  16. 16The Tram West
  17. 17Between Two Roses
  18. 18The Tea Bags
  19. 19Bagels at Eight
  20. 20The Long Side of the Desk
  21. 21Something to Tell You
  22. 22Bad News on Paper
  23. 23Across Two Bays
  24. 24A Grain of Truth
  25. 25Morning, Sleepyhead

Every chapter is free. When a chapter is revised in public it keeps its address and shows its new version. The chapter index

Chapter One, on film

The homecoming

A one-minute film of the last paragraphs of Chapter One: Adam comes home, and the house is expecting him.

The paintings were made with an image generator. The camera, the light, the type and the sound are written in code.

Read Chapter One
The words in the film
  1. The facade was pristine, as perfect as the day it was printed.
  2. There wasn't a crack, nor a stain.
  3. The Meadows didn't tolerate imperfection.
  4. Adam hesitated at the threshold.
  5. His fingertips were sore. He'd been rubbing the seam of his shorts pocket the entire walk home.
  6. He looked up at the door camera.
  7. He sensed its subtle pivot, tracking him.
  8. He reached for the door handle.
  9. The lock disengaged the moment his fingers touched it.
  10. Seamless.
  11. CILLA was always seamless.

The notebook

How the book is being made

All notebook entries
  1. progressChapter One, on filmA one-minute film of the end of Chapter One, and how it was made.Safe after Chapter 1
  2. progressA draft before the notebookTwenty-five chapters, a working title, and a place to start reading.No spoilers
  3. loreAlderbourne at street levelA guide to the city as it appears in the first three chapters.Safe after Chapter 3
  4. characterMeeting Adam and EleanorThe marriage at the centre of the opening chapters, before the larger story unfolds.Safe after Chapter 2

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Jonathan Hill

About

I'm Jonathan.

I'm a dad of four from Stockport, writing my first novel. Instead of disappearing for a year and pretending the book arrived fully formed, I'm showing the process as I go: the bits that work, the bits that don't, and the decisions that change everything.

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