Books By First-Time Authors | Spring 2020
27 Exciting Debut Authors You Can Support During the Shutdowns
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An author's debut novel is an incredible and exciting achievement — which is why it's so disappointing that many debut authors have had their launches affected by the shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. From early Spring debuts that had no time to build momentum to Summer debuts with cancelled book tours and more, these authors and many more have had this major moment overshadowed by the global pandemic. Luckily, being under lockdown is a great time to get some reading done, and there's no better thing than to support some of these authors whose debuts aren't quite unfolding the way they might have dreamed. Ahead, we've rounded up over two dozen amazing debut novels, perfect for a broad range of genres, interests, and demographics. Keep reading to see which debut authors you definitely shouldn't miss in the next few months!
Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey
Samantha M. Bailey's thriller Woman on the Edge opens with a shocking and mysterious event: a stranger approached Morgan Kincaid on a subway platform, hands her baby to her, and then jumps in front of a train. Morgan is left to try to figure out why this happened to her — and things only get messier when Morgan herself because a murder suspect.
Out Mar. 3
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
Alechia Dow's debut The Sound of Stars puts a twist on the alien-invasion trope. With all forms of cultural expression banned by the occupying Ilori, 17-year-old Ellie is terrified when a book from her secret library goes missing. But instead of delivering her for her punishment, M0Rr1S falls in love with human pop music, leading the duo to set off on a dangerous adventure.
Out Feb. 25
Docile by K.M. Szpara
K.M. Szpara's Docile is a dark, dystopian "what-if" that takes the concept of modern capitalism to its eerie extreme. In this world, debtors sell themselves as "Dociles" to be used by the wealthy, and a young man agrees to a life of servitude to erase his family's debts. When he refuses to take the drug meant to "ease" a Docile's transition into servitude, Elisha's "owner" takes that as a horrifying challenge that will push Elisha to the edge.
Out Mar. 3
These Ghosts Are Family by Maisy Card
Maisy Card's first novel, These Ghosts Are Family, tells the epic story of several generations of a family, beginning in colonial Jamaica and ending up in modern-day Harlem. When a man who faked his death discovers that his long-lost daughter is actually his care worker, the story of his family unfolds in generations of flashbacks that reveal the secrets and choices that built his family up to this point.
Out Mar. 3
Under the Rainbow by Celia Laskey
Big Burr, KS is a small town with the dubious distinction of "the most homophobic town in the US." In Under the Rainbow by Celia Laskey, a group of queer volunteers decide to move to BIg Burr for two years in hopes of broadening the minds (and hearts) of the people who live there. As they work to become part of the community, the volunteers and townspeople alike start learning about ways of life they never knew about before.
Out Mar. 3
The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey
The Animals at Lockwood Manor, by Jane Healey, follows Hetty Cartwright, who is tasked with overseeing a natural history museum collection. When she arrives at the eerie manor — and meets its resident, the reserved and haunted Lucy — Hetty begins to notice things spinning out of control in ways that she simply can't explain.
Out Mar. 10
Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
If you couldn't look away from The Act, then Stephanie Wrobel's Darling Rose Gold is for you. After spending her entire childhood believing she was incredibly sick, Rose Gold Watts discovered that her mother Patty had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which sent Patty to five years in prison. Patty is now being released, and Rose appears to want to reconcile, but she's got her own motivations now.
Out March 17
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's debut novel The Mountains Sing is a sprawling epic that follows the Trần family through four generations — though not always in linear order. The family experiences the highs and lows of history, doing what they must to survive, and passing those failures and triumphs down from generation to generation.
Out Mar. 17
Lakewood by Megan Giddings
Megan Giddings explores themes of death, science, and fear in Lakewood. After Lena Johnson's grandmother dies, she takes a new job: testing experimental drugs for both normal medical conditions as well as for erasing bad thoughts. When she gets in over her head, she's faced with a choice: quit the experiments and let her family be destroyed by debt, or keep working even as the experiments get more dangerous.
Out Mar. 24
Sin Eater by Megan Campisi
In Sin Eater by Megan Campisi,16th-century orphaned teenager May is forced to become a Sin Eater after stealing a loaf of bread. These women are shunned by society and forced to ritualistically eat food signifying the transgressions of the dead. When May's mentor is killed for refusing to eat one such meal, May plunges into a potentially deadly mystery of lies and revenge.
Out Apr. 7
God Shot by Chelsea Bieker
Chelsea Bieker's Godshot centres on the experiences of Lacey, a teenager in a town beset with drought. When a charismatic cult leader arrives to "save" them, the whole town falls under his sway. When Lacey's mother unexpectedly runs off with a man, Lacey begins to discover the truth about the powerful "pastor" who's taken over the town.
Out Mar. 31
This Lovely City by Louise Hare
Set in 1950s south London, Louise Hare's This Lovely City tells the story of Lawrie, a young Jamaican jazz musician, and Evie, the mixed-race girl girl next door. As London struggles to lift itself out of the post-war doldrums, a tragedy strikes that turns neighbours against each other and puts new arrivals like Lawrie right in the centre of it all.
Out Apr. 7
The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah
In a heartbreaking and tense debut novel, The Beauty of Your Face follows Afaf Rahman, the principal of a school for Muslim girls in Chicago, when a radical alt-right shooter attacks her school. Afaf recalls key memories of her life in flashbacks interspersed with the terrifying day when the shooter prowls the halls of the school.
Out Apr. 7
To Have and To Hoax by Martha Waters
Regency England has never been funnier than in Martha Waters's To Have and To Hoax. An estranged couple's once-passionate marriage has seriously deteriorated, and after four years of misery, their frustrations boil over into an ever-escalating game of fake injuries and illnesses, all to manipulate and annoy each other. But the more they raise the stakes, the more they realise their hearts might still be in the game too.
Out Apr. 7
How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang
C Pam Zhang's How Much of These Hills Is Gold is set during the American gold rush. Newly orphaned children of immigrants, Lucy and Sam are left alone with only each other after their parents die in succession. Their xenophobic mining town turns on them, so they set off to bury their father and find themselves on a journey of discovery about their pasts, their family, and themselves.
Out Apr. 7
The Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig
Molly Pohlig makes her debut with The Unsuitable, a feminist Gothic tale that's both of its time and utterly timeless. A plain Victorian woman tries to resist her father's attempts to marry her off, and she succeeds until a strange man with silver skin comes to call. Making matters worse: she believes that her dead mother is living inside the scar on her neck, and she might be right.
Out Apr. 14
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha follows a quartet of women in Seoul, all of whom are struggling in their own ways with living up to impossibly high cultural standards of beauty. A bar girl, an artist, a hairstylist, and a newlywed all have their own challenges, but the bonds of friendship between them help sustain them through the tough times.
Out Apr. 21
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
Elisabeth Thomas's Catherine House is a delicious and intriguing Gothic novel set, as good Gothics are, at an isolated, eerie boarding school. New student Ines Murillo has high hopes when she arrives at the school, but instead of finding a comforting refuge from the outside world, she finds herself tangled in a dark and twisty mystery.
Out May 12
All My Mother's Lovers by Ilana Masad
In Ilana Masad's debut All My Mother's Lovers, a twenty-something young woman returns home after her mother's sudden death to find her family falling apart and a set of letters left behind by her mother, each addressed to a different man. Maggie sets out to deliver the letters, and in the process encounters shocking revelations about her mother that she never would have guessed.
Out May 26
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
Fans of The Night Circus will be lining up for Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles. A group of powerful, flashy magicians face off against each other to determine the next headliner of their enchanted circus, but a mysterious threat lurking behind the scenes puts them all at risk, even as their proposed acts get more and more elaborate and dangerous.
Out Jun. 2
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
In Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan, Ava, an Irish expat moves to Hong Kong to teach English. She soon finds herself entangled in an unexpected bisexual love triangle with two very different suitors: a successful, sexy banker who can't (or won't) articulate his emotions, and a romantic but ambitious lawyer who wants Ava to take a leap of faith with her.
Out Jun. 2
A Burning by Megha Majumdar
Megha Majumdar's A Burning centres on Jivan, a persecuted Muslim girl in the slums of India who's accused of a terrorist attack. Jivan finds her fate tied to that of two others: an ambitious gym teacher who joins up with a radical right-wing group, and a charming, intersex outcast who dreams of becoming an actor — and who might be able to provide Jivan's much-needed alibi.
Out Jun. 2
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
Kester Grant's YA debut The Court of Miracles is a dystopian alt-history take inspired by Les Miserables. The skilled young thief Nina is desperate to protect her younger sister from a ruthless guild lord, so she sets out on an adventure that sweeps her from the seedy Parisian underworld to the royal court of a still-standing French monarchy, all while trying to avoid sparking an all-out war between the guilds of France.
Out Jun. 2
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Aiden Thomas's Cemetery Boys combines Latinx culture and mythology with a trans boy's coming-of-age story. Determined to prove himself to his traditional family, Yadriel tries to summon the ghost of his dead cousin to help set it free, but instead summons Julian, the ghost of his school's "bad boy," forcing the two to go on a quest together — and maybe learn some things about each other along the way.
Out Sept. 1 (previously Jun. 7)
No Way Home by Christy Cooper-Burnett
In Christy Coooper-Burnett's No Way Home, time travel has become routine in the future. Christine Stewart is just doing her job when she gets stranded in the past, thanks to a system failure that not only strands her and many other time-travel workers, but casts them much further back in the past than they're trained for. What started as a normal workday just became a fight to ensure the survival of the entire future.
Out Jul. 16
Brontë's Mistress by Finola Austin
A little-known literary scandal gets a new perspective in Finola Austin's Bronte's Mistress. Lydia Robinson, a wealthy woman whose passionate heart is viewed with disdain by her husband, children, and mother-in-law, hires a pair of siblings to teach her children: formal, reserved Anne Brontë, and her free-spirited brother Branwell. Sparks fly between Lydia and the young tutor Branwell, but this kind of fire ends up burning them all.
Out Aug. 4
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar takes its title literally: its heroine is Sheetal, the daughter of a star and a mortal who hides her heritage and just tries to be "normal." When her human father suffers a near-fatal injury, she sets out on a quest to beg the help of her star mother, finding herself in a celestial competition to determine the next rulers of the heavens.
Out Aug. 11
