The follow-up to Ali Smith's Gliff, Glyph unravels a story hidden in the first part of the duology, as siblings Briar and Rose try to navigate a state turned hostile to curiosity and understanding. Glyph follows Ali Smith's 2024 novel Gliff and tells a story hidden in the first novel. Gliff is set in a near future rife with surveillance, where people can be labelled 'unverifiable' by the state. It follows siblings Briar and Rose as they attempt to survive in a world that strives to crush curiosity and meaning.