An author based in Stockport has published her debut novel, a thriller with a neurodivergent protagonist at its centre.

The Event, by Isobel Lepist, tells the story of Nisba, a high-achieving professional from Manchester who arrives in rural Uzbekistan in unclear circumstances.

Her life collides with a Ukrainian war veteran managing his late father's winery, and the pair face quickly face escalating danger.

Nisba is ambitious and competent, but also privately anxious, "managing a mind that won't switch off while navigating unfamiliar territory".

The book and its protagonist have been inspired by the author's own late diagnosis of autism and ADHD (attention hyperactivity deficit disorder).

Isobel was diagnosed in 2023 at the age of 52, and said it reframed her entire life.

She herself has had a successful international career in the energy sector, but said she often felt overwhelmed and exhausted.

"I was high functioning on the outside and struggling on the inside", she explained.

"I could perform, I could achieve, but everything cost me far more than it seemed to cost other people."

Describing The Event, she said: "At the centre of the book is a neurodivergent woman who looks like she's got it all together. She's successful, respected and relied upon, and yet internally she's working incredibly hard just to stay afloat.

"That's the reality for so many women, and it's rarely shown honestly."

As well as being a fast-moving thriller, Isobel also hopes The Event will be able to convey themes of neurodivergence in a way that awareness campaigns sometimes cannot.

"A thriller lets you show what it really feels like", she said. "You can put the reader inside someone's decision-making, their fear, their intensity.

"You don't have to explain neurodiversity, you let people experience it.

"I wanted women like me to finally feel seen. To recognise that if you look like you're coping, that doesn't mean it isn't costing you. And to know they're not alone."

Between writing, Isobel also works as an ADHD coach and has founded At The Millpond, which supports neurodivergent adults, mostly women, to understand their brains and build lives that work for them.

You can order The Event on Amazon here.