Life in Bearmouth is one of hard labor and isolation, where daylight is a distant memory. Newt has lived in the mine since the age of four, and accepts everything from the harsh working conditions to the brutality of the overseers-until the mysterious Devlin arrives and Newt begins to ask, "Why?" Against a background of creeping violence and rising tensions, this question drives a chain of events that confronts both Newt's identity and the pitiless Bearmouth system.

With an utterly distinctive voice and propulsive storytelling, this darkly provocative thriller announces the arrival of a singular new talent in young adult literature.