The genesis for my thesis Cul-de-sac, a work of realist fiction, lies in the notion that the past always informs the present, that a character's birthplace, formative years, and familial relations place an indelible stamp like a birthmark upon them. The main protagonist in my thesis, Abbey Elliot rubs at this birthmark throughout her childhood and adolescence, rejecting a path clearly mapped out for her. Whether walking down a Sydney street, working for an art agency in london's Soho, or suffocating in a plush Boston sitting room, Abbey comes to accept how her background can thwart desire but often liberate it too. It is through this character that i explore ways of being and ways of living.