Debutiful’s Adam Vitcavage recommends noteworthy debut books for readers to discover each month.
One Leg on Earth by ‘Pemi Aguda (May 5)
From the publisher: One Leg on Earth is an ambitious novel like no other: a coming-of-age story, an uncanny exploration of motherhood, and a chilling vision of the dark side of progress.
What others are saying: A fearless work of fiction in the lineage of Toni Morrison’s Sula. ‘Pemi Aguda writes beautifully about the ways realities can break and why they sometimes should be shattered.–Megan Giddings, author of Meet Me at the Crossroads
Aguda’s debut novel is an example of perfect writing, an ambitious plot, and intricate characters. ‘Pemi Aguda has cemented herself as one of the greatest writers of this generation.
Hope House by Joe Bond (May 5)
From the publisher: Set in 1980s Kentucky, this striking debut novel is told from inside a treatment home for troubled teenagers, where lost boys become more than their pasts and dare to imagine different futures.
What others are saying: “I had the great pleasure of picking Bond’s amazing short story for an award years ago, and what a thrill it is to see how it’s grown into a beautiful novel of such tender frankness, building the lives of this group of kids with bottomless care and a fiercely keen eye for detail and movement.” –Aimee Bender, author of The Butterfly Lampshade
Bone delivers hope in the darkness of times. His compassion for his characters is undeniable, and there is so much heart packed in these pages where he writes with such grace and beauty.
Honey by Imani Thompson (May 5)
From the publisher: A wickedly funny, adrenaline-rush of a novel about a graduate student who murders bad men and justifies it in the name of feminism, by a bold new voice in fiction
This book is a hot, sweet, and unforgettable ride. Pure fun from start to finish.
Good News by Alexa Yasemin Brahme (May 5)
From the publisher: In this stylish provocative debut, a young artist struggles to find her way in New York City while navigating strained relationships, the reappearance of an ex, and her burgeoning sense of self. A mess, of course, ensues.
What others are saying: “Good News is about the complicated work of finding one’s way–as a woman, as an artist, as a daughter, as a lover. Alexa Brahme’s debut, like Sally Rooney’s, is a clear-eyed exploration of passion and discontent in equal measure. I rooted for Maggie all the way through.”–Emma Straub, author of This Time Tomorrow
Two cross-country flights later, I devoured this book, following Maggie through her ups and downs, and was all in on Brahme’s luminous writing where her character shines.
Offseason by Avigayl Sharp (May 5)
From the publisher: Serious yet irreverent with a delirious velocity, Offseason reimagines the conversation around trauma while reckoning with the doomed project of “speaking your truth,” the compulsion to repeat, and whether we can be transformed by art and love.
What others are saying: “Sharp’s narrator is exactly the right amount of unhinged: She’ll overshare about the worst parts of her life with anyone who will listen, and even people who don’t want to, but she always stops just short of fully imploding her life or turning evil . . . It’s a whip-smart, sardonic book.” —Sarah Rose Etter, author of Ripe and The Book of X
A riot of a novel. Sharp twists and turns scenes with a precise and unforgettable voice. By peeling layers of trauma back, we find out how our narrator rediscovers herself.
The Outer Country by Davin Malasarn (May 12)
From the publisher: This tender, elegant debut examines the struggle of keeping a family together when secrets threaten to pull it apart.
What others are saying: “Both a book of demons and a book of uncommon grace; an instant classic in the queer canon. Davin Malasarn is an exquisite writer of the heart.”—Justin Torres, author of Blackouts
The opening pages of Malasarn’s debut promise an empathetic read about siblings, place, and queer identity. He writes with lush prose that wraps readers up.
Femme Feral by Sam Beckbessinger (May 12)
From the publisher: Hyper-competent Ellie thinks she’s going through perimenopause, but discovers she’s actually turning into a werewolf in this feminist, dark-comedy debut
What others are saying: “A savage, witty, gory, heartfelt, utterly relatable rage fantasy and a helluva good time. Miranda July meets Stephen King.” –Lauren Beukes, New York Times bestselling author of The Shining Girls
Horrifically perfect. I planned on only reading the first dozen or so pages but ended up staying up until 3 a.m. Beckbessinger knows how to write an addictive, page-turning story. Once you start reading this, you won’t be able to stop.
New Skin by Sarah Wang (May 12)
From the publisher: A scalding, darkly humorous debut following an enmeshed mother-daughter duo, both best friends and enemies, and the plastic surgery addiction that warps their lives into a perilous spiral
What others are saying: “New Skin offers a brilliantly dark account of a mother and her daughter locked in a relationship with each other and the wider world that no amount of surgery can cure. Sarah Wang’s novel is intense, engaging, original and hilarious.”–Colm Tóibín, New York Times bestselling author of Long Island
Navigating relationships with your parents gets harder the older you get. In Wang’s book, she adds a layer of bite to it and brings comedy to the cringe as they become obsessed with their looks. And changing them.
Decomposition Book by Sara Van Os (May 19)
From the publisher: An emotional, electrifying, and darkly hilarious debut about a woman who finds a dead body and can’t give up its ghost, for fans of Mona Awad, Yellowjackets, and weird girl fiction.
What others are saying: “Intense, irreverent, surprising, raw. I relished every minute of Sara van Os’s debut and–heart in mouth–will be coming back for more.” –Natalia Theodoridou, author of Sour Cherry
Come for the weird, stay for the weird. This book’s unique concept ramps up page after page and when you’re done with it you’ll think to yourself, “What the hell did I just read? Can I read it again?”
All Them Dogs by Djamel White (May 19)
From the publisher: A young Irish gangster is caught in a brutal dance between desire and loyalty
What others are saying: “All Them Dogs is all that— a book you inhale, devour, grapple with, and reel from more than read. A coming-of-age novel for an age that comes breathing down the back of your neck. The kind of book where everything is on the edge of a knife and where love, like death, is either a kiss or a bullet away.” – Marlon James, author of the Booker Prize-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings
One of the most moving and cinematic novels I have experienced. I felt every emotion in White’s writing. He packs a punch.
Mare by Emily Haworth-Booth (May 19)
From the publisher: The story of a horse and the woman who loves her—a lively first novel of not-daughters and non-mothers; animals and animal bodies; and how we find freedom, care, and community in unexpected places.
What others are saying: “Mare is part love letter, part poetry, part guidebook on how to ride a horse, how to care for others, and how to be a woman in the world. This novel is a tender and refreshing exploration of loving without ownership. Meditative, then marvelously startling in parts. With Emily Haworth-Booth at the reins (sorry), you’ll find yourself happy to go along for the ride.” —Katie Yee, author of Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar
Soft and intimate. I sat down to read this and by the time I looked at the clock, hours had passed, and I was more than halfway through. Haworth-Booth has created something magical with this book.
Artifacts by Natalie Lemle (May 19)
From the publisher: For readers of The Cloisters and Counterfeit, Natalie Lemle’s debut novel offers an insider’s view into the world of stolen artifacts and the hidden networks that link museums to organized crime, when a woman is forced to remember the summer she spent on an archaeological dig in Italy, as everyone she knew then may now be in danger.
What others are saying: “With Artifacts, Natalie Lemle delivers a novel of rare density and grace, where each layer of the story rises like a stratum of archaeology—the very field that lies at the heart of the book—an accumulation of beauty, vice, hope, life, and the shadow of murder, all held together by a sensibility as precise as it is incandescent.” —Thomas Schlesser, New York Times bestselling author of Mona’s Eyes
Lemle has created an engaging romp with Artifacts. Dancing through time, we find ourselves in the art world of NYC with a dash of crime. A literary page-turner. Dare I say… a tour de force?
No God But Us by Bobuq Sayed (May 25)
From the publisher: In this wry, provocative debut, two gay Afghan men—cast out of their respective countries of birth by circumstances beyond their control—collide in Istanbul, a city that will test their willingness to sacrifice everything for the ones they love.
What others are saying: “I can’t remember the last time I was so moved by a book. Bobuq Sayed’s No God but Us asks what might happen to one’s consciousness when it’s mangled by the forces of empire. The deeply felt and irreverent story traces two Quixotic journeys through personal pain, faith, exile, and queer self-discovery, all the way from the Afghan refugee community in Tehran to the suburbs of Northern Virginia. At its heart, this is a novel about family––chosen and not––and I am lucky to count this story among my literary kin. This book is simply necessary, and very gorgeous.” – Aria Aber, author of Good Girl
Sayed moved me to my core. Sayed’s emotional intelligence provides a strong backbone to a tender story.
Waiting On A Friend by Natalie Adler (May 26)
From the publisher: New York City, East Village, 1984. A young woman with the power to see the ghosts of her friends is haunted by the one who refuses to return—a dazzling, big-hearted debut of friendship and community during a time of devastation and defiance.
What others are saying: “Waiting on a Friend is a wildly inventive and moving novel that walks a tightrope of emotion with grace and humor. It’s both a portrait of a time and place—New York City in the early 1980s—and a testament to the challenge of carrying on in the face of devastating loss. Natalie Adler has written an astonishingly brilliant debut.”—Patrick Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of Buckeye
OH MY GOD. This is the type of book I wait all year to drop into my lap. Simply put, this is one everyone should be itching to read. Adler has her finger on the pulse of humanity, humor, and a damn good haunting plot.
The Maidenheads by Benny Peterson (May 26)
From the publisher: A bighearted debut novel about queer yearning, indie musicians, and bushwacking a thorny path back to your first love
What others are saying: “I never wanted to stop reading this thrilling, lively, and moving book! Jamie and Mari felt so real that I expect their story to go on, expect to see them at a show, or walking down the street, holding hands, eating gummy bears, or fighting. A book about finding out who you are in art, gender and sexuality, family and love, and in every way that matters. This novel is as scrappy and full of heart as the Maidenhead’s music, and I flew through it with joy and plenty of tears.” —Lydi Conklin, author of Songs of No Provenance
With supple writing, Peterson precisely nails how it feels to find first love, and first heartache. Navigating people never is easy, but when you’re young, dumb, and your hormones are misfiring, it makes the highs high and the lows lower.
Say Nephew by Steven Pfau (May 26)
From the publisher: For readers of Maggie Nelson and Jeremy Atherton Lin, Say Nephew is an eclectic and inquisitive exploration of the rich and complex mythology of gay uncles
From the blurb: “In this fluid, sexy, and delightfully campy inversion of autotheory, Steven Pfau performs a kind of alchemy, turning grief into comfort, loss into nourishment. I can’t remember the last time a stylish debut brimmed over with such wisdom, and such stern tenderness.” —Patrick Nathan, author of The Future Was Color
A beautiful ode to family and coming into your own. A blend of traditional memoir and a broader exploration of mentorship, this book was a pleasure to weave in and out of while tracing the quiet, often unseen ways we are shaped by those who guide us.