10 noteworthy debut books to read this August

Debutiful’s Adam Vitcavage recommends noteworthy debut books for readers to discover each month.

There is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes Jr. (Mariner; August 6)

From the publisher: An electrifying debut story collection about Central American identity that spans past, present, and future worlds to reveal what happens when your life is no longer your own.

This collection gives life to Salvadoran characters through gorgeous stories that run from realism to the fantastical. Reyes succeeds on every level from genre, to dialogue, to pacing. It’s a beautifully crafted collection with equally as beautiful and memorable characters.

Mystery Lights by Lena Valencia (Tin House; August 6)

From the publisher: Set against the stark background of the Southwestern desert, Lena Valencia’s Mystery Lights glows with the promise—and fear—of the world we know and the worlds we don’t, following women and girls as they navigate dangers both supernatural and existential.

These dark and moody stories are such a treat to read. They’re quick-witted and filled with unexpected twists and turns. Valencia drops readers into evocative worlds with skillfully crafted characters. Read this if you want something a little off-kilter. It delivers on making you squirm, gasp out loud, and think hard.

Yr Dead by Sam Sax (McSweeney’s; August 6)

From the publisher: “It’s not just that I trust Sam Sax’s imagination. My sincere belief is that Sam’s creative freedom unlocks the potential for our liberation.” –Saeed Jones, author of How We Fight for Our Lives

I was late to the game in reading Sam Sax. They’re a brilliant poet with brilliant collections like PIG and Madness. Their first foray into long-form fiction is a wonder. Sax’s language is as gorgeous as you’d expect. Their mind is amazing and this book is an unbelievable achievement as it explores space and time through dazzling and magnetic fragments.

Five-Star Stranger by Kat Tang (Scribner; August 6)

From the publisher: In Kat Tang’s exciting and resonant debut, a “Rental Stranger”– a companion hired under various guises–walks the line between personal and professional in surprising new ways.

Tang’s book is a sharp page-turner about our culture’s commodification of everything. Here, people can rent strangers for a variety of reasons and the book questions the sincerity of relationships and transactions. It is equally a breezy and thought-provoking read. 

The Singer Sisters by Sarah Seltzer (Flatiron; August 6)

From the publisher: Two generations of a folk-rock dynasty collide over art, love, longing, and family secrets in this captivating and poignant debut

Strap in for a very fun ride. Seltzer explores the music scene of two different times and asks what legacy means. The intergenerational relationships are creative and crafty while the scenes all feel alive. Reading this book was like being at a rock concert. It completely engulfed me while I read it.

The Fertile Earth by Ruthvika Rao (WW Norton; August 13)

From the publisher: An unforgettable story of love and resistance surrounding two young people born across social lines, set against a tumultuous political landscape in India.

Lush and beautiful from beginning to end. Rao follows two people who bonded as children but whose social class threatens to tear them apart as adults. The exploration of these two characters amidst the chaos around them exquisitely showed how loyalty and love for friends outweigh the noise of the world. Rao’s prose is undeniably captivating.

Napalm in the Heart by Pol Guasch; trans. by Mara Faye Lethem (FSG Originals; August 13)

From the publisher: Survival is a moral quandary in this jagged, otherworldly debut charting forbidden love during an apocalypse.

Reading this book was an out-of-body experience. Set in the near future, live as we know it is over. Something devastating happened and Guasch drops readers right in it. The book is a meditation on survival told very artfully. It felt so safe but also so dangerous at the same time. It may be about the end of the world, but it felt like the beginning of something new. I must read more Guasch.

Manboobs by Komail Aijazuddin (Abrams; August 13)

From the publisher: A blazing new talent’s hilarious memoir about coming of age and coming out in Pakistan, moving to America, looking for love, and falling in love with himself along the way

This laugh-out-loud memoir tackles everything from body image and love to the cultural differences between Pakistan and America. Throughout the book, Aijazuddin shares stories of his journey to find belonging while learning to accept and love himself. His humor and keen observations of society make this an unforgettable memoir.

The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera (Pantheon; August 20)

From the publisher: A searingly original debut about two sisters and their flight from genocide–which takes them from Hollywood to Paris to San Francisco’s Cannery Row–each haunted along the way by the ghosts of their murdered friends, who are not yet done telling their stories

Balibrera offers a new book to be entered into the historical magical realism canon. It is a staggering tome of sisterhood, disaster, and myth. Readers can expect an imaginative roller coaster of emotion as the sisters do everything they can do to reconnect.

Kayfabe by Chris Koslowski (McSweeney’s; August 27)

From the publisher: Kayfabe is a window into life on the fringes of a uniquely brutal American pastime and an intelligent, self-aware commentary on modern identity, artifice, and violence. In the vein of National Book Award finalist Chris Bachelder’s The Throwback Special, Kayfabe explores the boundaries of sport, spectacle, entertainment, and exploitation.

This book is a chokeslam. It will grab your attention, lift you above its head, and slam you down with emotion. It uses wrestling, which is often looked down upon, to survey human nature earnestly and kindly. I love it when novels use sport as the backdrop and Kowlowski did it perfectly here. It is honest on every page and moved me in ways I didn’t think a book about wrestling could.