Victoria Boult

When King of high school and all-around-party animal Nikau is outed, we witness his social downfall, from cool guy to complete outcast. Forced to find a new group of friends, each of whom has been ‘othered’ by smalltown New Zealand, he finds escape in a whole new world of possibilities: the internet.

Set in modern day Aotearoa, Literally Dead follows True–the most iconic bitch you’ve ever met. She’s beautiful, smart, charming, and sharp, but on the cusp of graduating from high school, she died in a tragic accident (note: it wasn’t an accident). Our story takes place entirely on the night of True’s graduation party, as her ghost presents her circle of friends and frenemies, we discover her death was the least fucked up thing that happened that year at Gilchrist Grammar.

In rural New Zealand, a determined young woman named Ayala confronts her estranged, conspiracy-obsessed father Stephen in his isolated ramshackle fortress — where he now lives as a self-proclaimed lizard person. Ayala pleads for him to return to reality, but as the line between delusion and belief blurs, Ayala must face a chilling question: what if he’s not entirely wrong?