Debutiful’s Adam Vitcavage recommends noteworthy debut books for readers to discover each month.
Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner (Grove Atlantic; October 1)
From the publisher: From Betsy Lerner, celebrated author of The Bridge Ladies, comes a wry and riveting debut novel about family, mental illness, and a hard-won path between two sisters
Reading this story about sisterhood and mental health was a revelatory experience. It unlocked a lot about how I thought about my relationship with family members both close and distant. Lerner’s decades of working in the publishing industry – including memoirs and a writing advice book – paid off. This debut was worth the wait.
The Book of Losman by K.E. Semmel (Santa Fe Writers’ Project; October 1)
From the publisher: Meet Daniel Losman– an American in Copenhagen, translating books and living a solitary existence. His longtime girlfriend has left him, and the only highlights in his life are encounters with an offbeat artist he thinks he’s in love with and weekends with his three-year-old son, whom he worries has inherited his Tourette syndrome.
Semmel’s debut is a clever and witty exploration of a man with copious anxiety. It’s hilarious and packs a punch with a small page count. While you can easily finish this in a day, you’ll be thinking about it for weeks.
Pearly Everlasting by Tammy Armstrong (Harper; October 1)
From the publisher: Set during the Great Depression, an immersive and enchantingly atmospheric novel about a girl and a bear raised as sister and brother in a remote logging camp, and the lengths to which they’ll go to protect each other.
This debut book felt like being wrapped in a cozy blanket on a cold winter day. Expect to be charmed by Pearly and be dazzled by Armstrong’s prose. You can feel the love between Pearly and her bear best friend Bruno on every single page.
Obligations to the Wounded by Mubanga Kalimamukwento (University of Pittsburgh Press; October 8)
From the publisher: In formally adventurous stories rooted in Zambian literary tradition, Obligations to the Wounded explores the expectations and burdens of womanhood in Zambia and for Zambian women living abroad.
These stories! These stories! They are opulent, clever, and ingenious. While they follow these women’s lives, they also offer insight into large themes seen across the globe. Kalimamukwento is a graceful writer who has already hit her stride. Her future is bright.
Diversity Quota by Ranjan Adiga (University of Wisconsin Press; October 8)
From the publisher: Complicating the idea of a single immigrant narrative, the stories in Diversity Quota move from the US to Nepal and back again, showing how displacement can lead to suffering or hope–sometimes simultaneously.
Set across the globe, Adiga offers insightful stories about migration and cultural acclimation. The stories are enlightening and from the heart. Getting to know these characters and their stories was a delight.
Country Queers by Rae Garringer (Haymarket; October 8)
From the publisher: Part photo book, part memoir, part oral history project, this volume paints a vivid portrait of queer and trans experiences in rural areas and small towns across the US.
I haven’t yet physically read this book, but I have been a fan of what Garringer is doing with Country Queers for quite some time. I expect the book to be as hopeful and thoughtful as all of the work done so far. I truly cannot wait to dive into it.
Sad Grownups by Amy Stuber (Stillhouse; October 8)
From the publisher: Inhabiting these worlds of disconnection and dislocation are the “sad grownups”: a middle-aged queer couple arguing over whether to have children, a college professor dying from cancer, two recent high school graduates plotting a robbery, a sixty-year-old counselor at a boys’ summer camp sheltering herself from the realities of life—all connected more closely to the landscapes around them than to other people.
The short stories in Stuber’s collection are kind. They take care of these characters and take care of readers. “Sad” may be in the title and inhabit a lot of the stories, but there is also hope. Reading this collection was like being wrapped in a warm blanket.
Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato (Grove/Black Cat; October 15)
From the publisher: From the National Book Award-winning translator, an atmospheric and wise debut novel of a young Brazilian woman’s first year in America, a continent away from her lonely mother, and the relationship they build over Skype calls across borders
There is a lot to praise in Lobato’s book but I have to compliment one thing: the vibes. This book felt right. It is quiet and haunting as it invites readers to meet a Brazilian woman who is spending her first year in America away from the comforts and love of home. She encapsulates loneliness and longing while offering a future filled with love on the horizon.
How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund by Anna Montague (Ecco, October 22)
From the publisher: For fans of Less and Remarkably Bright Creatures comes a funny and moving novel about love, loss, and new beginnings found on an unlikely road trip
Montague’s debut reminded me a lot of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It’s an enchanting road novel about queer identity and finding your place in the world, even when you’re 70. It’s a lovely story filled to the brim with heart and humor.
No One Gets To Fall Apart by Sarah LaBrie (Harper; October 22)
From the publisher: In this poignant memoir, as candid and indelible as The Glass Castle and Memorial Drive, a writer takes on the conflict between the love that binds us to home and the desire to escape it for good.
This memoir was an eye-opening account of mental illness and family dynamics. LaBrie allows readers into deeply personal moments while shedding light on more widespread themes that stem from her family’s past as well as LaBrie’s own creative drive.