Each month, Debutiful helps readers discover debut authors who are releasing can’t-miss books!
Little Foxes Took Up Matches by Katya Kazbek (Tin House; April 5)
Set in Russia just after the fall of the Soviet Union, Kazbek’s coming-of-age story weave folklore, sexuality, and family drama seamlessly. Little Foxes is a heartwarming tale of finding yourself even when it doesn’t seem possible to do so.
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang (Flatiron; April 5)
This is one of the most powerful historical fiction books in recent memory. Zhang takes readers to the 1880s American West during the Chinese Reclamation Act and provides a gorgeous and heart wrenching story of a young girl fighting for her place in the world. Be warned: once you start this book, it’s unputdownable.
Post-traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson (Little, Brown; April 5)
The main character in Johnson’s original and darkly hilarious debut barely held her life together. The book follows what happens when everything falls apart.
Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper Jones (Avid Reader; April 5)
This is the memoir every aspiring writer should read. It’s language is beautiful and how Jones writers about disability, love, location, body, and everything in between is masterful. This book will take your breath away.
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li (Tiny Reparations; April 5)
Li uses a captivating and thrilling art heist as the backdrop for a mediation on Chinese American heritage. It’s as fun as it is illuminating.
A Tiny Upward Shove by Melissa Chadburn (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; April 12)
Chadburn’s book is a work of beauty. It’s dark and haunting, but is something every lover of literature needs to read. She uses Filipino folklore to create a book unlike anything you’ve ever read.
Country of Origin by Dalia Azim (Deep Vellum; April 12)
In Azim’s family saga, readers will meet a cast of characters who must confront how they feel about their personal identity and status, as well as their country’s. Using 1950s Egypt as the backdrop, readers will be transported in ways rarely seen on the page.
Sedating Elaine by Dawn Winter (Knopf; April 12)
This is the perfect book for anyone who has cried while having sex. It’s a sharp and witty story that offers precise emotional beats. Winter provides a modern-day Bridget Jones and kicks it up a notch.
An Unlasting Home by Mai Al-Nakib (William Morrow; April 12)
In this family saga, Al-Nakib invites readers to Lebanon, Iraq, India, the United States, and Kuwait. The book explores three generations of Arab women with a very strong grasp on voice and tone. It’s a sweeping novel that will stick with readers for a long time.
Hope and Glory by Jendella Benson (William Morrow; April 19)
In Benson’s debut, we discover what it means to be family and what it means to find yourself when you didn’t know you needed finding. It’s a delightful novel that will please readers of all kind
Maria, Maria by Marytza K. Rubio (Liveright; April 26)
The stories in Rubio’s debut collection are mesmerizing. Anchored by the titular novella, the author introduces readers to colorful characters, breathtaking prose, and a tinge of unforgettable magic.
When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley (Dutton; April 26)
A propulsive book about a young man determined to discover the truth after his girlfriend seemingly commits suicide. Set in Korea, Wiley’s taut page-turner also offers insight into tension of growing up biracial and never feeling like you truly belong in either culture.
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