Best Debuts of 2024 So Far, as chosen by the Amazon Editors
![Best debuts of the year so far, including 'The Ministry of Time', 'Martyr', 'The Book of Doors', 'Malas' and more.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/d1ysvut1l4lkly.cloudfront.net/B0D81894WL/4/image-0-0.jpg)
There’s nothing like discovering a new author—it’s one of the best parts of reading and one of the best parts of our job as Editors. As a team we read thousands of books, and there’s nothing quite like the thrill of reading a debut novel. Last year, we introduced the debut category to our Best Books of the Year list and we thought we’d do the same for this year’s Best Books of the Year So Far.
I’ll just say: it’s been a banger of a year for debut novelists. Our #4 book, The Ministry of Time, and our #5 book, Martyr! are both debuts. Whether you love historical fiction, thrillers or mysteries, rom-coms, or heart-pounding and laugh-out-loud novels, we’ve got the debuts for you. Here are some of our favorites, but be sure to check out the full list of the Best Debuts of the Year So Far.
How do I even describe this book? It’s a time travel-spy thriller-government conspiracy-love story, and it’s also so much more. I’ve never read anything like it, and I loved every second. It’s near-future London, and a time travel device has been discovered by a top-secret government agency. The operatives bring back “expats” from different times in history when they would not have survived (to avoid disrupting the future) and pair them with “bridges”—people to help them acclimate to current times. The story follows Arctic explorer Graham Gore and his bridge over the course of a year as he adjusts to modern-day life. This genre-bending novel explores humanity in all its frailty and potential, and how love can alter the course of history in ways we never expect. It’s a fantastical debut that’s funny, riveting, heartbreaking, and unputdownable. I want everyone to read this book. —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
Poet Kaveh Akbar makes his dazzling fiction debut with an unforgettable main character who reminded us of the voicey, charismatic, and undeniably addictive hero of Demon Copperhead (yes, I just compared this to a Pulitzer Prize winner). Also named a Best Book of the Year So Far by the New York Times, Martyr! is both laugh-out-loud funny and deadly serious—a coming-of-age story and a portrait of a young Iranian-American man wrestling with what it means to have a life of value. After tripping through college on various concoctions of booze and drugs, a newly orphaned and sober graduate, Cyrus Shams ventures to New York City in pursuit of an Iranian artist who he hopes will fuel his creative writing project and give meaning to his life. Electric and unique, with a voice that feels shot from a cannon, Martyr! is a book you’re going to hear about for a long time. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
This debut novel has a mystique that is not only beautifully displayed on the cover, but elegantly woven throughout. Set in the small border town of La Cienega, Texas, a dual timeline jumps between 1951 and 1994. Readers first learn about Pilar—a young, newly married mother who experiences a series of events that dramatically shape the course of her life and then fast forward to 1994, where you meet Lulu—a punk rock, Selena-lovin' Latina who has dealt with more heartache than any 15-year-old should. Pilar and Lulu meet, and there is something about Pilar that continues to draw Lulu in, flaming her desire to learn more about Pilar’s background and connection to Lulu’s family and the community. Spanish words and phrases are sprinkled throughout and cultural nuances within the Mexican diaspora are detailed in a way that offers an immersive and intimate view into the characters and culture. Providing a little bit of mystery and a lot of family drama—readers will become engrossed in this story of friendship, grief, and secrets. —Kami Tei, Amazon Editor
I went from cackling at the all-too-relatable workplace absurdities (I felt seen) to crying by the end of this unexpected gem of a novel. Jolene is a snarky, disaffected worker in a regional office. Through a mishap, she ends up being blind copied on all workplace communication. Horrifying. Once she gets over the initial humiliation of seeing what everyone is saying about her and each other, she devises a plan. With layoffs looming, she’ll use this intel to keep her job and undermine her rivals. But as they say, best laid plans…. As hijinks, and maybe romance, unfold, Jolene begins to recognize the unfair judgments she’s made and the damage she’s done by isolating herself from everyone in her life. I was rooting for Jolene every step of the way, and I fell in love with the vibrant cast of characters who were rooting for her too. This is a delight of a debut, perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
What would you do if you had a book that could take you anywhere in the world? If you think about it, that’s the whole point of books, after all—words on a page that have the power to pull you into the story they tell. The best books pull you in and never let you go, and in the case of The Book of Doors, you will be enthralled. In a novel where the very source of magic is books themselves, Brown tells the riveting story of Cassie, a simple bookseller in New York City, who comes into the possession of a book that can take her anywhere in the world. Not only will it take her to places she never imagined she’d go, but it also forces her on an adventure that will span spacetime and confront the age-old ideas of good and evil. —Ben Grange, Amazon Editor
A poetic knockout, Ours conjures memories of reading Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer, and Jesmyn Ward’s Let Us Descend. With a dash of magical realism, Williams unveils a multigenerational story of formerly enslaved men, women, and children, who live together in a town called Ours—a town that does not appear on any map—thanks to the powers of the town’s creator, Saint. But, as time ticks by, this idealistic safe haven becomes vulnerable and threats lurk everywhere—as Williams writes, “freedom didn’t mean safety...and if there’s anything more shockingly unpredictable than freedom, it’s love.” And with that line, the novel ignites—smoking out the stories of those that live in Ours and beyond. Supported by a cast of characters that you won’t soon forget, and exquisite sentences throughout, Ours is at once saturated in majestic myth, an interrogation of slavery’s legacy, and the complications of community, friendship, and the very notion of freedom. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
Have you ever been home alone at night and frozen at the sound of a squeaking floor board, wondering if it were the contractions of the house or the footfall of an intruder? Cat and mouse thriller Nightwatching takes that prickle at the back of your neck and stretches it to unbearable lengths in this home-invasion-from-hell tale. Claustrophobically nightmarish and dread-inducing, it’s also addictive, twisty, and unputdownable, as a woman home alone with her children during a blizzard encounters her worst-case scenario. —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor
Provocative, chilling, and hypnotic, Sierra Greer’s story of an AI companion, and the man who owns her, probes at the complexities of humanity, empathy, power, and freedom. Ownership of another human is clearly abhorrent, but is ownership of a human-like creation, capable of many of the characteristics that make us human, any less so? There are deep, thoughtful questions here, and my emotional response to AI Annie—her thoughts, fears, curiosity, and yearnings—made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Annie Bot feels more like prescience than sci-fi, and this suspenseful, piercing read is one I’ve wanted to talk to others about from the moment I turned the last page. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
A book you can read in two days, The Storm We Made tells the story of a family in Malaya during the Japanese occupation during WWII—and just how far they’ll go to protect one another, their country, and fight for what’s right. If you loved All the Light We Cannot See, or are a fan of Kristin Hannah, Vannessa Chan’s debut is for you. Taking on WWII history and the place of women in society—rarely are they the spies that Chan imagines for the matriarch of this novel—and the legacy of war, The Storm We Made is both an epic read and an intimate one. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
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