Debut novels and rising star writers to look out for in 2019
Look out for these debut novelists and rising stars of the literary world in the coming months
You Know You Want This by Kristen Roupenian
Kristen Roupenian shot to fame at the end of 2017, when her New Yorker short story Cat Person went viral. Judging by its title, her debut collection You Know You Want This will be exploring the same themes: sex, power and consent.
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For fans of... Normal People by Sally Rooney and Rebecca Solnit
Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal
Further proof that Jane Austen's stories never run out of mileage, Unmarriageable is a retelling of Pride & Prejudice in modern-day Pakistan. Soniah Kamal returns to the themes of her first novel, An Isolated Incident, which told a love story set against the vivid, turbulent backdrop of Kashmir.
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For fans of... Jane Austen and Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
How to Treat People by Molly Case
Medical memoirs are having a moment, so How to Treat People is likely to be a hit. Molly Case's lyrical volume unites her talent as a spoken-word poet with her experience as a nurse, telling the story of her professional life in a high dependency unit colliding with her personal life, when her father ends up on the ward where she works.
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For fans of... When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi and The Language of Kindness by Christie Watson
You Will be Safe Here by Damian Barr
Journalist Damian Barr's first book, Maggie and Me, became Sunday Times Memoir of the Year for its poignant portrayal of life in rural Scotland during the Margaret Thatcher years. You Will be Safe Here is Barr's first, ambitious foray into fiction. The story spans a century, moving between a South African concentration camp in 1901 and contemporary Johannesburg.
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For fans of... How to be Both by Ali Smith and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
Music Love Drugs War by Geraldine Quigley
Against the backdrop of the troubles, Music Love Drugs War follows four friends who are on the brink of adult life in '80s Derry. The book's pivot is a tragedy that substitutes unsettling conflict for warm, lethargic scenes in which young people drink, smoke and idly chat.
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For fans of... On the Road by Jack Kerouac and Milkman by Anna Burns
A Good Wife by Samra Zafar
Last February, Toronto Life published an article that became the most-read piece on the publication's website in 2017. It was called The Good Wife and told the story of Samra Zafar's forced marriage, abusive relationship and escape with two young daughters. Zafar has since developed this article into an anticipated autobiography, which narrates her relentless pursuit of freedom and education.
For fans of... Brick Lane by Monica Ali and Belonging by Sameem Ali
The Sun on my Head by Geovani Martins
A collection of 13 short stories, The Sun on my Head caused quite a stir when it was released in the author's native Brazil last March. The volume revolves around life in Rio de Janeiro's notorious favelas, which Geovani Martins still calls home.
For fans of... Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels and Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
99 Nights in Logar by Jamil Jan Kochai
A story about stories, 99 Nights in Logar blends myth with the grit of contemporary Afghanistan, with a touch of magical realism and childlike charm. A young boy's quest to find his family's dog becomes an odyssey through the town to which he's returning from the US. Jamil Jan Kochai was born in Pakistan and lives in America, but describes himself as originating in Logar.
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For fans of... The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
The Farm by Joanne Ramos
Margaret Atwood's busy writing a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, which is due to be released in September 2019. But if you can't wait until then, The Farm is based on a similar premise: poor or aimless surrogate mothers lease their bodies to wealthy women for nine months. Ethical questions swirl in this dystopian novel that feels a little too close to reality.
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For fans of... The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Lullaby by Leïla Slimani
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray
The debut novel of an award-winning CNN journalist, The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls is a tale about how daughters consume their mothers, and one another. The narrative is driven by a shattering fall from grace, the consequences of which fragment a family of identities.
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For fans of... The Mothers by Brit Bennett and Hot Milk by Deborah Levy.
A Particular Kind of Black Man by Tope Folarin
In his compelling debut novel, Tope Folarin combines a classic immigrant narrative with a setting where the American dream seems out of reach: rural Utah. The author, who has been awarded the Caine Prize for African Writing, dwells on themes of belonging, ambition and dizzying loneliness.
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For fans of... Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Educated by Tara Westover
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
A lot of millennials will relate to the premise of Beth O'Leary's debut novel: Tiffy and Leon, two cash-strapped twenty-somethings, decide to move into the same room. They live together without ever meeting: he works nights, she works days. This heartwarming tale is being billed as one of this year's feel-good hits.
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For fans of... The Lido by Libby Page and Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
The Parisian by Isabella Hammad
Inspired by the life of her Palestinian great-grandfather, and the style of her former teacher Zadie Smith, The Parisian is an epic historical novel. The 27-year-old New Yorker spent a year researching the novel in the Middle East, interviewing 80 members of her family to ensure historical accuracy.
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For fans of... White Teeth by Zadie Smith and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee