Take a look at previous What We’re Reading blogs for more reading inspiration. Hungry Ghosts, by Kevin Jared HoseinI'm thoroughly enjoying Hungry Ghosts, the debut novel by Kevin Jared Hosein, who won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2018, and whom I had the pleasure of hearing read at the Bocas Lit Fest in Trinidad and Tobago. It's 1940s rural Trinidad, and there's a storm brewing. Quite literally, in the shape of torrential downpours which impact the lives of the ensemble cast of characters: Hansraj and Shweta, who dream of escaping their leaky barrack for a plot in the nearby town; their son Krishna, who gets into trouble again while out searching flooded paddy fields for fish; and the wealthy businessman Dalton Changoor who mysteriously disappears during the storm, leaving his wife Marlee piecing together his disappearance. But bigger change is also in the air, with the arrival of an American military base and the resulting displacement of families and communities.I’m only a short way in – so no spoilers here – but this novel has already grabbed my attention with its highly sensory depictions of its characters, its energetic interweaving narratives, as well as the comprehensively portrayed historical backdrop of Trinidad on its journey from a colony to an independent republic. I’m looking forward to more of Kevin Jared Hosein’s writing.Matthew Beavers, Literature Relationship Manager The New Life, by Tom CreweThere is a much quoted line in Tom Crewe’s exquisite... Continue reading at 'British Council global'
[ British Council global | 2023-06-01 06:19:41 UTC ]
Set in the recent past, Austin Kelley's debut novel centers on a magazine underling who becomes entranced with a Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-04-14 10:00:06 UTC ]
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Find Ariel Courage’s successful query to agent Samantha Shea for her debut novel Bad Nature, which includes what Shea liked in the query. The post Successful Queries: Samantha Shea and “Bad Nature,” by Ariel Courage appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-04-12 16:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Art Bell shares a quick exchange with Walter Mosley and how he went about writing his memoir as a thriller and vice versa. The post How to Write Your Memoir as a Thriller and Your Thriller as a Memoir appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-04-10 20:00:00 UTC ]
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Find London Sperry's successful query to agent Lily Dolin for her debut novel Passion Project, which includes what Dolin liked in the query. The post Successful Queries: Lily Dolin and “Passion Project,” by London Sperry appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-04-09 01:30:03 UTC ]
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It wouldn’t be wrong to call Kate Folk’s debut novel Sky Daddy a marriage plot. The protagonist, Linda, has had numerous lovers, but she wants to settle down. She’s looking for a “fine gentleman” who’s sleek, strong, and ready to commit, and she already has her dream wedding planned: hurtling to... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-04-08 11:00:00 UTC ]
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The unnamed narrator of Zee Carlstrom's debut novel is full of anger at their AWOL dad, but over the course of a road trip home begins to question his certainty about their diverging views Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-04-04 10:00:40 UTC ]
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Mariam Rahmani’s debut novel is both charmingly familiar and totally unpredictable. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2025-03-26 14:00:00 UTC ]
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In this land of opportunities, being an immigrant can often feel like playing a round of Twister. A certain contortion of mind, language, and will power seems written into the script; a lot of territory remains untouchable. Shubha Sunder’s debut novel Optional Practical Training is named after... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-03-07 12:05:00 UTC ]
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Fifteen years ago, Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel became a best seller, but was also heavily criticized for its portrayal of Black characters. Now, she has written second novel, “The Calamity Club.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2025-03-07 10:04:33 UTC ]
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Emily St. James’s debut novel Woodworking chronicles the developing friendship between a 16-year-old trans girl and her recently-out-to-herself English teacher in Mitchell, South Dakota in the months leading up to the 2016 election. In a town like Mitchell, secrets are few and far between,... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-03-06 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover of These Memories Do Not Belong to Us, the highly-anticipated debut novel by Yiming Ma, which will be published by Mariner Books in the US and McClelland & Stewart in Canada on August 12, 2025. You can pre-order here in US or here in Canada.... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-03-04 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Dan Houser will publish his debut novel A Better Paradise Volume One: An Aftermath, an adaptation of his hit podcast, this fall. The book is the first title from the new publishing arm of his entertainment company, Absurd Ventures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Georgia Hunter's debut novel about a Polish Jewish family that survived the Holocaust was turned into a Hulu series. Her second novel, 'One Good Thing,' revisits WWII Europe but is a more conventional work. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-02-24 11:00:28 UTC ]
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Olufunke Grace Bankole’s debut novel The Edge of Water opens with a prophecy: “A storm is coming.” The order of things, the Iyanifa tells us, will be disrupted by a soul who defies her fate. What follows is the story of three generations of Nigerian and Nigerian American women: Esther, who... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-02-04 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Good Girl—the debut novel by award-winning poet Aria Aber—follows nineteen-year-old Nila as she becomes charmed in a Berlin club and falls manically in love with Marlowe, an older brooding American writer. Raised by Afghan refugees, Nila’s childhood remains haunted by the shadows of exile while... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-01-24 12:00:00 UTC ]
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“Those people. My whole existence, neatly packed into one demonstrative adjective,” says Nila, the protagonist of Aria Aber’s pulsing debut novel Good Girl. Nila was born in Berlin, “inside its ghetto-heart, as a small, wide-eyed rat, in the months after reunification.” As these quotations show,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-01-16 09:56:24 UTC ]
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A debut novel about an Afghan German party girl in Berlin shows that there are plenty of ways to dramatize the immigrant experience. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2025-01-15 14:30:00 UTC ]
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Aria Aber’s exciting debut novel finds the daughter of an Afghan refugee sidestepping disapproval and racism as she dives into Berlin’s nightworld. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2025-01-13 10:00:16 UTC ]
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Jewish Life in Harbin, China: A Conversation with Jean Hoffmann Lewanda by Susan Blumberg-Kason Interviews [email protected] Tue, 01/07/2025 - 07:08 Shalama and Paul, Shanghai, 1950. Photo courtesy of Jean Hoffmann LewandaI met the author Jean... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2025-01-07 13:08:24 UTC ]
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