Recommended reading: Hilary Mantel’s review of Kate Atkinson’s debut novel.

By the time I read Hilary Mantel’s 1996 review of Kate Atkinson’s debut novel Behind the Scenes at the Museum in the London Review of Books, the novel had been a favorite of mine for over a decade. My mother gave me the book when I was in high school—both of us entirely unaware of […] Continue reading at 'Literrary Hub'

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-23 14:57:31 UTC ]

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‘I was told I was stupid’: Peep Show’s Paterson Joseph on his debut novel – and writing three operas

He starred in Peep Show, Green Wing and Wonka – and his first novel won an award. Now the star is making operas with 64 homeless people. Not bad going for someone who was written off by his teachersPaterson Joseph is, by his own admission, an unlikely opera librettist. He had turned 50 by the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-05-27 04:00:13 UTC ]
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A Queer Libertine’s Heartbreak in Seoul

Ery Shin’s Spring on the Peninsula encompasses two winters of grieving: Kai, a white-collar worker in contemporary South Korea, struggles to process his breakup. We follow Kai’s inner musings, from his various sexual conquests to solo mountain pilgrimages. But alongside heartbreak, Shin’s debut... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-05-20 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Anna Noyes on Writing the Book That Keeps Her Awake

This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. In The Art of Subtext, Charles Baxter writes, “A novel is not a summary of its plot but a collection of instances, of luminous specific details that take us in the direction of the unsaid and the unseen.” In 2017, I sold... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-05-17 08:55:10 UTC ]
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Jessica Zhan Mei Yu on Loving Literature That Hates You

Jessica Zhan Mei Yu’s smartly interior debut novel But the Girl appears to follow the path of a bildungsroman. Our protagonist, simply named Girl, is on a flight out of Australia for an artist’s residency in the lush Scottish countryside. She is leaving behind her tight-knit Malaysian family and... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-04-30 11:05:00 UTC ]
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A Secret Letter to the KGB Turned A Lost Family History Into a Novel

Journalist Sasha Vasilyuk’s debut novel Your Presence Is Mandatory is a poignant look at the reverberating effects of war through the story of a Ukrainian World War II veteran’s struggle to hide a damaging secret for the sake of his family.  Vasilyuk’s book begins with death—the first chapter... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-04-25 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Cover Reveal: ‘Yr Dead’ by Sam Sax

We’re thrilled to reveal the cover for Sam Sax‘s forthcoming debut novel Yr Dead, slated for August 6.  Here’s a bit about the book, courtesy of McSweeney: In between the space of time when Ezra lights themself on fire and when Ezra dies the world of this book flashes before their eyes. Everyone... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2024-04-18 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘The Band,’ by Christine Ma-Kellams

In the debut novel “The Band,” a burned-out pop idol meets a disillusioned professor, raising the question: What if the dangers of fame resemble white-collar ennui? Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-04-13 09:02:30 UTC ]
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Exclusive Cover Reveal: “Homeseeking” by Karissa Chen

Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover of Homeseeking, the highly-anticipated debut novel by Karissa Chen, which will be published by Putnam on January 7th, 2025. You can pre-order your copy here. An epic and intimate tale of one couple across sixty years as world events pull them... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-04-11 11:10:00 UTC ]
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New Climate Fiction Author Sarah Ruiz-Grossman’s Favorite Cli-Fi Books

This Earth Day, settle into "A Fire So Wild," Sarah Ruiz-Grossman's debut novel about the societal impacts of climate change. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2024-04-05 09:45:24 UTC ]
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“Worry” is the Novel of the Online Generation

The biting cultural commentary that emanates from the pages of Alexandra Tanner’s debut novel Worry is like the too-bright light of a smartphone screen at night, pulling you closer and keeping you absorbed late into the night. One year following a secret suicide attempt that only Jules, our... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-03-26 11:00:00 UTC ]
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For the Teenage Girls in “Headshot,” the Boxing Ring Is a Place of Transformation

Rita Bullwinkel’s debut novel Headshot takes place in the confines of a boxing ring in Reno, Nevada, over two days of championship matches to determine the winner of the 12th Annual Women’s 18 & Under Daughters of America Cup. Her protagonists, eight teenage girls, fight each other in a... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-03-13 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Great Expectations,’ by Vinson Cunningham

Vinson Cunningham’s impressive debut novel finds a watchful campaign aide measuring his ambitions on the trail of a magnetic presidential candidate. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-03-12 09:00:38 UTC ]
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Summit Books Rises Again

Summit publisher Judy Clain’s inaugural acquisition, a debut novel titled ‘Great Black Hope’ by Rob Franklin, bodes well for storied imprint’s relaunch. Clain, previously editor-in-chief of Little, Brown, called Franklin “the writer we dreamed of publishing” at Summit. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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A poet's novel of utopia shows less an ideal than, perhaps, a road map

Are utopias becoming a trend in fiction during this dystopian era? The debut novel from Phillip B. Williams, 'Ours,' embraces magic without ignoring reality. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-02-24 11:09:13 UTC ]
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Portal Fantasy: PW Talks with Sarah Arthur

Arthur's debut novel Once a Queen, a young adult "portal fantasy," talks to PW about writing her first novel, and her love of fantasy. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Portal Fantasy: PW Talks to Sarah Arthur

Arthur's debut novel Once a Queen, a young adult "portal fantasy," talks to PW about writing her first novel, and her love of fantasy. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Life is 'Plastic' in Scott Guild's novel and companion album

Scott Guild's debut novel (and companion album) 'Plastic' is a dark and entertaining saga about a postapocalyptic world populated by plastic figurines. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-02-15 21:43:40 UTC ]
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7 Books About Ghostwriters

When I was ghostwriting full-time, I produced twenty books in fourteen years. Thanks to a suggestion from my literary agent, I realized a ghostwriter might make a great heroine—they’re under tremendous pressure, often while adjacent to the fame machine—so Mari Hawthorn, the ghostwriter at the... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-02-15 12:05:00 UTC ]
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It's funny and cringey, but Andrew Ewell's debut novel doesn't live up to its potential

Andrew Ewell's debut novel 'Set for Life' is well-written but doesn't fulfill its potential. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-02-09 16:00:10 UTC ]
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A father goes missing. Then a brother too. In this 'Great Forest,' a fraught return home

The debut novel from Leo Vardiashvili, 'Hard by a Great Forest,' has its commercial trappings but ultimately lands with lyrical and heartbreaking resonance. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-01-31 18:43:16 UTC ]
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