First Novelists 2008: Tracking Down First Fiction

Appropriately, this wrap-up of last season’s top first novels includes mysteries, since figuring out what to include takes some detective work. Sales, printings, media attention, reviews, notice from awards committees, and sources like Book Sense—renamed Indie Next last summer—all are useful clues.

Adamson, Gil. The Outlander. Ecco: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-149125-2. $25.95.

Having won the Hammett Award and been nominated for a rafter of important prizes in Canada, this tale of a widow alone in early 1900s Alberta hopped borders and became a Discover Great New Writers and a Book Sense pick. After some glowing reviews—“remarkable” (Boston Globe), “deep, brilliant, and textured” (Minneapolis Star Tribune)—this work sold very nicely. (LJ 4/1/08)

Adiga, Aravind. The White Tiger. Free Pr: S. & S. ISBN 978-1-4165-6259-7. $24.

“A satire as sharp as it gets,” proclaimed the Seattle Times. Good news for Indian author Adiga, but New York magazine was even more pointed: “Buy it.” It’s nice being shortlisted for the Booker as well. A Book Sense pick. (LJ 10/15/07)

Anam, Tahmima. A Golden Age. Harper: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-147874-1. $24.95.

This story of a young widow’s travails in war-torn Bangladesh “has everything an epic should have” (San Jose Mercury News), which may explain why it was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. (LJ 10/15/07)

Attenberg, Jami. The Kept Man. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). ISBN 978-1-59448-952-5. $24.95.

People’s three-and-a-half-star review rated this portrait of a woman whose artist husband is in a coma “unabashedly emotional, refreshingly devoid of New York City cynicism [never mind the New York setting], and tenderly funny.” (LJ 10/15/07)

Barlow, Toby. Sharp Teeth. Harper: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-143022-0. $22.95.

A verse novel about werewolves? This one is a “howling, hole-digging, bone-snapping, blood-lapping, intestine-gobbling success” (New York magazine). A Book Sense pick and Barnes & Noble email blasts pushed this into a second printing. A Shirley Jackson Award finalist. (LJ 1/08)

Block, Stefan Merrill. The Story of Forgetting. Random. ISBN 978-1-4000-6679-7. $25.

Typical teenaged nihilist Seth must wrestle with his mother’s early-onset Alzheimer’s and earns both an A- from Entertainment Weekly and a nomination for the 2008 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize.

Bock, Charles. Beautiful Children. Random. ISBN 978-1-4000-6650-6. $25.

How many books—much less a first novel—inspire such clamor that the publisher allows free downloads for a few days from the author’s web site, as well as Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and booksamillion.com? Folks looking for this “powerful” tale of teenaged runaways in Las Vegas (LJ 10/1/07) accounted for 15,000 downloads from the author’s site alone. A New York Times best seller, featured on four different NPR shows, this book currently claims 50,000 copies in print.

Buxbaum, Julie. The Opposite of Love. Dial: Random. ISBN 978-0-385-34122-6. $25.

A Harvard Law grad’s first novel (about a lawyer, of course) racks up a Redbook excerpt, Book Sense and Discover recognition, rights sales to 18 countries, and a film option by Twentieth Century Fox.

Casey, Kathryn. Singularity. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. ISBN 978-0-312-37950-6. $24.95.

Veteran crime reporter Casey finally tried her hand at fiction—and probably wished that she had switched sooner. This Houston-set mystery made Vanity Fair’s “Hot Type”column and was named both a Pulpwood Queens Book Club selection and a Deadly Pleasures Best First Novel Selection of 2008. “Not since Patricia Cornwell’s Postmortem has a crime author crafted such a stellar series debut” (Tampa Tribune). (LJ 6/1/08)

Cassella, Carol. Oxygen. S. & S. ISBN 978-1-4165-5610-7. $25.

Cassella is a practicing anesthesiologist whose “involving debut [is] just what the doctor ordered,” said People in its three-star review. A Denver Post and a Rocky Mountain News best seller, this book is already in a third printing just two months after publication, with 40,000 copies currently available.

Collins, James. Beginner’s Greek. Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0-316-02155-5. $23.99.

“Despite the contemporary setting, Collins’s fiction debut has all the traits of a 19th-century romance—an omniscient and sometimes playful narrator, elegant prose that meanders through the lush terrain of disparate lives, an occasionally arch but always dulcet tone, frequent flashbacks...sophisticated dialog, and a much-delayed but delightful resolution” (LJ 10/1/07). Need we say more? Currently in its fourth printing, with a big paperback run coming in spring.

Crouch, Katie. Girls in Trucks. Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0-316-00211-0. $21.99.

Book Sense’s No. 1 pick for April and proud bearer of an A- from Entertainment Weekly, Crouch’s debut may have fared better than its heroine, disillusioned debutante Sarah, but her story is “a funny, slim stiletto to the heart of friendship, desire, and love” (The Oregonian). (LJ 3/15/08)

de Gramont, Nina. Gossip of the Starlings. Algonquin. ISBN 978-1-56512-565-0. $22.95.

Any debut novel that gets strong reviews in publications ranging from the Washington Post Book World to American Airlines to Bust can’t be all bad. And a four-star review in People can’t hurt. “[A] compelling coming-of-age novel...think Donna Tarrt and Bret Easton Ellis with the wisdom of hindsight” (LJ 5/15/08).

Epstein, Jennifer Cody. The Painter from Shanghai. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-06528-2. $24.95.

“Lush,” said Vogue. “Luminous,” said the New York Times. “Shining,” said Barnes & Noble when this debut was chosen as a Discover offering. But Marie-Claire pointed out that this fictionalized life of Chinese painter Pan Yuliang is also a “harrowing” read. Sales were reportedly good and healthy. (LJ 2/1/08)

Ferraris, Zoë. Finding Nouf. Houghton. ISBN 978-0-618-87388-3. $24.

Double-barreled all the way: this book is both “a fascinating peek into the lives and minds of devout Muslim men and women [and]...an engrossing mystery” (LJ 2/1/08), and it earned both Book Sense and Discover recognition.

Galchen, Rivka. Atmospheric Disturbances. Farrar. ISBN 978-0-374-20011-4. $24.

Dr. Leo Lieberstein is a man on a mission—he thinks his wife is an imposter—and his troubles have so far netted him a second printing, Indie Next honors, front-page New York Times Book Review coverage, and a nomination for the 2008 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize. (LJ 5/1/08)

Groff, Lauren. The Monsters of Templeton. Voice: Hyperion. ISBN 978-1-4013-2225-0. $24.95.

When any book is a New York Times and a Book Sense best seller, an Orange Prize shortlister, a New York Times Editor’s Choice selection, a Barnes and Noble First Look Book Club selection, an Amazon Significant Seven selection, and a foreign rights darling, you know it’s a monstrous success. “An irresistible adventure” (LJ 1/08).

Hanif, Mohammed. A Case of Exploding Mangoes. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-307-26807-5. $24.

What first novelist would not explode with joy when told that his work belongs “in a tradition that includes Catch-22, but [that] also calls to mind the biting comedy of Philip Roth, the magical realism of Salman Rushdie and the feverish nightmares of Kafka” (Washington Post Book World)? Hanif’s tale of a Pakistani soldier’s misfortunes was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Guardian First Book Award and was a Discover pick as well. (LJ 3/15/08)

Hantover, Jeffrey. The Jewel Trader of Pegu. Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-125270-9. $21.95.

The jewel trader of Pegu (part of the Burmese kingdom) is a 16th-century Venetian Jew whose journey east provoked a number of glowing reviews. Bearer of the Discover, Book Sense, and Borders Original Voices Triple Crown, too.

Harris, Rosemary. Pushing Up Daisies. Thomas Dunne Bks: St. Martin’s. ISBN 978-0-312-36967-5. $23.95.

For this story of executive–turned–suburban gardener Paula Holliday, Harris threw herself into all the major mystery conventions—Malice Domestic, Sleuthfest, Thrillerfest, and New England Crimebake—and some gardening shows as well. The result: big-name endorsements, a second printing, and a spot on the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association’s hardcover best sellers list. “Charming” (LJ 12/07).

Hearst, Dorothy. Promise of the Wolves. S. & S. ISBN 978-1-4165-6998-5. $25.

If Temple Grandin and Jean Auel loved this fable of wolves learning to bond with humans, you will, too. A Book Sense pick with huge foreign rights sales and good crossover potential—School Library Journal called it “captivating and believable.” (LJ 4/15/08)

James, Syrie. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. Avon. ISBN 978-0-06-134142-7. pap. $13.95.

An Austen memoir is discovered, revealing a secret love. At least that’s the premise behind this Discover find, also a 2007 LJ Editors’ Fall Pick. Published last winter, the book is now in its ninth printing, with more than 115,000 copies available. “Tantalizing, tender, and true to the Austen mythos” (LJ 9/1/07)—and so successful that James is coming out with Charlotte Bronte’s Secret Diaries next year.

Jones, Sadie. The Outcast. Harper: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-137403-6. $24.95.

It’s every first novelist’s dream comparison: the downward drift of Jones’s orphaned protagonist is “reminiscent of the power found in Booker Award–winning author John Banville’s The Sea” (LJ 4/1/08). But being longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and receiving Book Sense and Discover recognition must have been exciting, too.

Jordan, Hillary. Mudbound. Algonquin. ISBN 978-1-56512-569-8. $22.95.

A 2006 Bellwether Prize winner (given for an unpublished work that best addresses social change), this dazzler not only won Book Sense, Borders, and Discover honors but was also a four-star Critic’s Choice Pick in People. “Jordan faultlessly portrays the values of the 1940s as she builds to a stunning conclusion” (LJ 12/07).

Klassen, Julie. Lady of Milkweed Manor. Bethany. ISBN 978-0-7642-0479-1. pap. $13.99.

Having been a finalist in the 2008 Christy Awards (Historical) and placed second in the Romance Writers of America^® Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards, this lady should take a curtsy. She seems to leave readers “immensely and blissfully happy” (OnceUponaRomance.com).

Miles, Jonathan. Dear American Airlines. Houghton. ISBN 978-0-547-05401-8 . $22.

A stranded traveler writes an angry letter to American Airlines, and sales, at least, take off. With front-page coverage in the New York Times Book Review, which found this book both “fun” and “timely.” (LJ 5/15/08)

Morton, Kate. The House at Riverton. Atria: S. & S. ISBN 978-1-4165-5051-8. $24.95.

Published to great acclaim in Australia and sold to ten countries—it was a No. 1 best seller in Britain—Morton’s “suspenseful and beautifully atmospheric” (LJ 2/1/08) work made the Amazon Best of the Month list when it hit these shores.

O’Flynn, Catherine. What Was Lost. Holt. ISBN 978-0-8050-8833-5. pap. $14.

Talk about great advance notice. When this tale of a child’s disappearance was first published in Great Britain, it won the Costa First Novel Award, was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, and was longlisted for the Man Booker and Orange prizes. Here, it won great reviews (“poignant, suspenseful, funny and smart,” Los Angeles Times) but Discover and Indie Next kudos as well. (LJ 6/1/08)

Park, Ed. Personal Days. Random. ISBN 978-0-8129-7857-5. pap. $13.

As the economy founders, office angst is becoming fiction’s next big thing. Park’s take “transforms the banal into the eerie” (The New Yorker). A John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize nominee.

Sellers-García, Sylvia. When the Ground Turns in Its Sleep. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). ISBN 978-1-59448-954-9. $24.95.

The whole world turned for Sellers-García with the publication of this novel, set in Guatemala. It made the Boston Globe best sellers list, was declared “an impressive debut” by The New Yorker, got picked up by Book Sense, and won the Boston Authors Club Julia Howe Book Prize. Oh, and LatinoStories.com proclaimed her one of the new “Top Ten” Latino authors. (LJ 10/1/07)

Smith, Tom Rob. Child 44. Grand Central. ISBN 978-0-446-40238-5. $24.99.

Inspired by infamous Rostov serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, this thriller was grabbing attention even before it was published. It has since grabbed the attention of the Man Booker folk, who longlisted it; Ridley Scott, who bought the film rights; and nearly two dozen foreign publishers. A New York Times best seller. (LJ 3/15/08)

Stanišic, Saša. How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone. Grove. ISBN 978-0-8021-1866-0. $24.

Having won Germany’s Readers Prize and been shortlisted for the Deutscher Buchpreis, this gorgeously written work was translated into 22 languages and then landed in America, where it was generally greeted as “a brilliant debut” (Los Angeles Times), Indie Next and Borders honors added to the excitement, and the rights have just been bought by Focus Features. (LJ 4/15/08)

Taylor. M. Glenn. The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart. West Virginia Univ. ISBN 978-1-933202-31-0. $16.50.

The tale of an early 1900s outlaw, this Discover pick “is a stunning, fully realized, unique, and ambitious book that proves there’s still passion, fire, and brilliance in the American novel” (Houston Chronicle).

Tinti, Hannah. The Good Thief. Dial: Random. ISBN 978-0-385-33745-8. $25.

Having shot to the top with her much-praised story collection, Animal Crackers, Tinti stays there with this full-scale debut, a tale set in 19th-century New England that’s good enough to “satisfy your inner Dickens” (Washington Post Book World). This Indie Next pick was nominated for the 2008 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize. (LJ 6/1/08)

Toltz, Steve. A Fraction of the Whole. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-0-385-52172-7. $24.95.

A “riotously funny...Voltaire-meets-Vonnegut tale [that] deserves a place next to A Confederacy of Dunces in a category that might be called the undergraduate ecstatic”? If the Wall Street Journal is right, no wonder Australian author Toltz’s debut was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. (LJ 1/08)

Veitch, Kate. Without a Backward Glance. Plume: Penguin Group (USA). ISBN 978-0-452-28947-5. pap. $14.

Veitch’s account of a fractured family learning to heal appeared in July, and by early September it was already in a third printing, with 40,000 copies available. Internet activity helped, with rave reviews from sites like candycoveredbooks.com, nightowlromance.com, and curledup.com, and Romantic Times said, “This book hits the target.” (LJ 4/1/08)

Wroblewski, David. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Ecco: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-137422-7. $26.95.

An account of a boy, his dogs, and an uncle who, Claudius-like, usurps a father’s role, this story is “unforgettable” (LJ 3/15/08). Wroblewski’s own story is unforgettable, too; his first book took over the New York Times best sellers list and was both a Discover and an Indie Next pick as well as a nominee for the 2008 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize.