Shutterstock / Jesse CC©“The People’s Friend” has always been a champion of fiction and our pages are always waiting to be filled with wonderful stories from established and new writers. We pride ourselves on being open to anyone who wants to submit and this year alone we have added 25 new authors to the “Friend” family! With this in mind, I thought I’d take a look at some best debut novels of 2022.
“The Unravelling” by Polly Crosby
Creepy, atmospheric and at times magical, Polly Crosby’s debut tells the story of Tartelin Brown who is very much alone in the world, so when the offer of a job on a remote island becomes available she applies. Her employer is the ageing and mysterious Marianne Stourbridge who wants Tartelin to capture butterflies so she can study and catalogue them. Creepy, claustrophobic and beautifully written.
“Metronome” by Tom Watson
Set at some point in the future, this unnerving debut by Tom Watson sees main characters Aina and Whitney exiled on an island for a crime they committed together. To make sure they don’t leave the island they must each take a pill every eight hours or they will die. On the day they’re supposed to be collected for parole, no-one turns up. The supply ship fails to arrive and a number of shipwrecks start washing up on the shore. Taut, scary and sad.
“Lessons In Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
This much talked-about debut novel is sharply funny, brilliantly poignant and thought-provoking. It’s the early 1960s in America and chemist Elizabeth Zott is fighting hard to be taken seriously in the very sexist and masculine world of the Hastings Research Institute. Bizarrely, within a few years she finds herself accidentally fronting a TV cookery show with a difference. One that explains things using science and it doesn’t talk down to its audience. An absolute delight of a book.
“The Second Sight Of Zacharay Cloudesley” by Sean Lusk
Whimsical, dramatic, engaging and filled with adventure and characters you will never want to let go. It’s London 1754 and motherless Zachary has grown up in his father’s clock factory. Zachary is no ordinary child though. Gifted and seeming to have a second sight, Zachary has a terrible accident that results in a voyage of danger and adventure to Constantinople.
“A Terrible Kindness” by Jo Browning Roe.
A stunning debut novel that begins with 19-year-old William having to attend the tragedy at Aberfan in 1966. This makes him think about his future and also makes him look back at his short, but eventful life. From his parents, his singing in a choir and the events that have shaped him. A wonderful book.
Have you read any of the above books? Let us know what you think on our Twitter or Facebook pages. Get more book recommendations from the “Friend” on our website!
Tracey Steel Having worked on a number of magazines over the years, I have found my perfect place on the “Friend” as I’m obsessed with reading and never go anywhere without a book! I read all of our stories with a mug of tea close by and usually a bit of strong cheese too!
