Every year, Debutiful tries to narrow down the best debut books of the first half of the year and it gets harder and harder. So many titles went on to become bestsellers and celebrity book club picks, with many on their way to becoming cult classics.
This year’s collection of 16 books features memoirs that pack a punch, dystopian-tinged novels that critique our current society, and stories about finding our place in the world.
Once readers dive into this book, they will traverse through a sea of originality. Chung’s mesmerizing prose will engulf you and take you on a journey unlike any book before it. The best way to experience this book is with a sharktini in one hand and an open mind. Sea Change will strike a chord and move you in a way you didn’t think a book could.
Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Adjei-Brenyah did the unthinkable: he followed up Friday Black, his debut collection that shook me to my core, with an even better book. Chain Gang All Stars is a stratospheric book that should be taught in high schools for the next millennia. Thinking about it as I write this still gives me chills. It is a book every person in the world should read.
Sink is a fearless memoir that doesn’t hide anything. Thomas moves through brutal moments and uplifting ones with grace. He employs third person, which pushes the memoir beyond him and encompasses all those like him.
I Keep My Exoskeletons To Myself by Marisa Crane
Crane meditates on queer love and the government’s relationship with our bodies and children in this fragmented novel that is filled with beautiful passage after beautiful passage. It’s a masterclass in gorgeous writing that sings while also punching you in the gut.
We Are a Haunting by Tyriek White
In this poignant and moving novel, White pulls back the curtain on cycles of violence and reveals the beating heart of tough, working-class individuals. It is somber, harsh, uplifting, shocking, and unforgettable.
My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin
My Last Innocent Year is a riveting coming-of-age novel about a young woman in that exact situation. Many people have captured what it’s like on a college campus, but this has entered the pantheon of campus novels.
Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig
Chang-Eppig offers a page-turning adventure about a Chinese pirate queen who is one of the best characters of the year. Deep as the Sky will captivate readers regardless of what genre or style they like. This is beautifully written with a sharp eye for pace. It feels cinematic in every sense of the word.
The story of a young swimmer who becomes obsessed with being in the water. Song sucks readers in with unforgettable language and explores our carnal desire of want. Reading it was like an out-of-body experience.
In her first novel for adults, Davis turned her eye to queer millennials and provided a raw and honest portrait of love and lust. It’s sexy, confusing, and uncomfortable. Dykette reflects and dissects sexuality through a very entertaining lens.
The Sorrow of Others by Ada Zhang
Each story in Zhang’s debut collection is illuminating. The stories shift in place and time but at the heart of each one are memorable characters balancing the quietness between the moments that shape their lives. From love and death to being part of revolutions.
You Can’t Stay Here Forever by Katherine Lin
Lin’s pitch-perfect characters coupled with thoughtful reflections on love and privilege make this an unforgettable read. This book will grab you and not let you go from the very first page to the last period.
Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas
Lucas invites readers into a seductive and tender relationship with her debut novel. She captures the raw, instinctual lust we have at the beginning of relationships and exposes how we yearn for others. Thirst for Salt is an engrossing page-turner you will salivate to at every sentence.
It’s no secret I love books about mothers and The Nursery did not disappoint. It is a searing portrait of postpartum motherhood written with visceral prose. It is powerful and haunting.
Every time I go to explain what Wolfish is, I can’t. It’s more than a memoir. It’s more than a reported story. It bends genre. It is a surprising and powerful read.
Buckle up for a wild ride that will make you question everything in this time-travel crime noir. Chong’s book left my jaw on the floor. Everything from the writing style to the plot to the characters is fun as hell.
I completely missed this spectacular debut leading up to its publication. I heard rumblings of how amazing it was, but somehow never made note of trying to read it. I rectified that and… wow. This book is astonishing. Millner is a genius.
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