Trying to identify weird novel about a strange UK town with a grinding noise underground?
Hi everyone,
I’m trying to track down a book I was recommended a while ago online and I’m completely stuck. I’ve tried searching but nothing seems to match, so I’m hoping someone might recognise it from the description.
It was adult fiction, but the main character was a teenage boy from memory. The story was set in a strange small town in the UK (or at least a very UK-like setting), and the atmosphere was very unsettling. The townspeople felt odd or “off,” and there was a strong sense that something wasn’t right beneath the surface of the town.
There was a constant humming (maybe grinding?) noise coming from underground, and it felt like it was implied that there was a huge buried machine or industrial system beneath the town or a factory. As the story progressed, people began disappearing, and it seemed connected to whatever was happening underground. From the synopsis I was told, the whole thing had a very weird fiction/uncanny tone rather than a typical YA dystopia.
The cover (as far as I remember) was mainly red and showed a house with a gear or cog underneath it, like there was something mechanical or industrial beneath the surface. I think the title may have included the word “Under,” but I’m not sure.
I was recommended it fairly recently, and think the book may also have been publised in the last few years.
If anyone recognises this, I’d really appreciate the help, it’s been driving me a bit mad trying to find it!
Thanks in advance!!