Book with unique plot or premise that makes you think, “how did they come up with that?”

I’m looking for unique, plot-driven, page-turning stories, maybe with themes that are not as frequently explored or are presented in unique ways. A simple unique premise that is worth exploring in depth and leads to complexity, not something convoluted. Something really creative and interesting that makes you think, how did they come up with that? It doesn’t feel like the general plot is something that just anyone could come up, it feels like it must’ve come to them in a dream or something.

Great examples are The Picture of Dorian Gray and the Metamorphosis. I would never think of those premises in a million years (my creativity is a pretty low bar though tbf). Versus something like Romeo & Juliet or Frankenstein — Haven’t we all thought about forbidden love and whether it’s possible to bring life from the dead? It feels like something we naturally are curious about or think about. And they’ve been recycled and reinvented a million times. To be clear I loved those stories but not what I’m looking for now. I want something that is still feels unique and fresh to this day. I want something fantastical and curious to happen in the book.

I also realized I like novels that almost feel like they could be a myth or something passed down through word of mouth. You could just tell the story or the premise in a minute or less and you would be hooked and get you thinking. Not looking for something where the summary is like “a flowing saga exploring memory and cultural tension within families through twenty-something Character’s troubled life in rural Spain”… to me that reads “no specific event worth explaining here happens in this book”

Open to all genres and types of books but I’m usually into literary fiction, gothic fiction, or mystery. And been trying to read more classics recently