I'm talking about the type of story where the MC figures out there's something horrible going on under the surface of a seemingly-good situation and tries to unravel it. More specifically, the type of dystopia where everything seems good -- even to the readers -- on the surface at first, but creeply little hints slowly reveal that something bad's going on. Kind of like The Giver, but even then we could tell that things are off with the lack of emotions, kids not being able to choose their own career path, etc. Maybe more along the lines of Coraline, where at first things seem perfect but then they get really creepy. I know these are both kids' books -- I can't think of any adult books that illustrate my point right now. Has anyone written a story like this, or read one that was done well? I'm developing a story like this for NaNoWriMo and although I'd never be "heavily influenced" by another author's storyline, I'd still like to learn techniques on what works and what doesn't.
"Never Let Me Go" by Japanese-born British author Kazuo Ishiguro. Im not going to say a word about what the dark reveal is, and you should try avoiding finding out. It is really a books that get so much better if you dont know and your suspicions gets to grow on their own. And its a rewarding and awesome book also dealing with the how thin the line between cruelty and love is in friendships among children, young adults and adults.
