The second novel by Bill Hodson, author of Tracking Back.

Perfect for fans of Kate Atkinson, Jonathan Coe, and Francis Spufford.

1938.

With Britain in recession and another war looming, living conditions in the industrial heartlands are grim. A group of idealists travel to Lancashire to document working-class life, hoping to spur government action. Treating the locals like a remote tribe from a distant land, they rely on scouts and interpreters to understand the unfamiliar world they observe.

Edward, a Cambridge graduate, falls for Molly, a young cotton weaver. He believes she can give his life meaning; she sees in him a glimpse of escape. But can their love survive as the gulf between their worlds begins to threaten their bond? Worktown is a fictionalised account of the Mass Observation field study in Bolton, 1937–38, asking whether real change can come from passive observation—or whether true impact demands action.