Debutiful’s Adam Vitcavage recommends noteworthy debut books for readers to discover each month.

Zone Rouge by Michael Jerome Plunkett (September 2)

Plunkett reimagines Myth of Sisyphus by following French bomb-clearers who discover a human skeleton on a World War I battlefield that spirals their lives out of control. What stands out about this book is how Plunkett approaches the war novel. It’s tautly and feverishly written.

My Prisoner and Other Stories by Tyler McAndrew (September 4)

An unforgettable collection of stories set in the Rust Belt. Maybe these stories are odes to these places, and maybe they’re criticisms. The one thing that is clear is that it’s overflowing with emotion. The sense of place throughout McAndrew’s stories is so rich you can feel the humidity and sense of hope (or desperation) oozing from the characters.

The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham (September 9)

A screecher of a novel. It reminds me of the atmosphere of Catherine House, which is a longstanding favorite of mine. Dunham’s book is haunting and irresistible. It landed at Debutiful HQ recently and was quickly devoured in one night.

Little Movements by Lauren Morrow (September 9)

A book oozing with soul. Morrow’s story about a Black dancer in a white dominated space leaps off the page as she balances exploring ambition, representation, and identity. 

What God in the Kingdom of Bastards by Brian Gyamfi (September 9)

Diving into Gyamfi’s poem proves he has an eye for rich and evocative imagery on top of emotional language. He expertly blends a personal lens with the larger cultural roots that built him as a writer.

Someone Else’s Hunger by Isabella DeSendi (September 15)

DeSendi allows readers into intimate moments about topics ranging from eating disorders to fitting into toxic places controlled by masculinity. She somehow is able to radiate beauty with her words while writing about the darkest of times. This collection touched my heart and soul. Her poems are unforgettable.

Boy From the North Country by Sam Sussman (September 16)

It will be easy to pitch this book as a “Bob Dylan novel” – and it is that, but it’s so much more. It’s an intimate and stirring novel about a boy’s relationship with his parents, filled with heart. Sussman asks, Does it matter if biological parents who haven’t been around matter? And, if they do matter, how does one confront the desire to bring them into their life as an adult?

Kaplan’s Plot by Jason Diamond (September 16)

A moving and gorgeously written story about a son’s relationship with his dying mother. As Diamond dives into this relationship between Elijah and Eve, the bond leaps off the page. Then, Diamond adds a layer of generational trauma when secrets of Eliah’s grandfather that complicates relationships and legacies.

Thank You, John by Michelle Gurule (September 23)

Know this: you’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, you’ll pick your jaw up from the floor. Gurule’s memoir is a sublime and revealing story about being a sugarbaby in college. It reads like a Hollywood reality series in the best way possible.

Underspin by EY Zhao (September 23)

Drive, desire, and determination in the table tennis world are central to exploring how outside forces can shape us. I love a good sports novel and this is a gold medal of a novel. It shocks and awes as good as the masters.

Great Disasters by Grady Chambers (September 30)

From the early pages of this novel, you can tell this is a poet with a master grasp on language and movement. In novel form, Chambers gives readers a gift of breathtaking prose brimming with empathy and soul as friends navigate through the pitfalls of life (heartbreak, addiction, a country falling apart) in 2010s Chicago.

Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa (September 30)

Thammavongsa short story collection, How to Pronounce Knife, is an all-timer. Her debut novel builds on her craft, soul, and heart that is quiet and subtle in all the right ways. Her sly observations turn scenes into the unexpected time and time again.