The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes by Rudyard Kipling

After being thrown from his horse during a feverish episode, Morrowbie Jukes finds himself in a hidden village where sick and socially dead men are exiled and left to fend for themselves. Trapped and desperate, he must navigate the madness and despair of the place while plotting an escape. The plot is surreal and claustrophobic, symbolizing societal exile and colonial fear. It’s a chilling psychological and moral adventure. A nightmarish descent into a forgotten corner of empire.