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Blog
Here you can find all of our past book reviews plus articles, Q&As and author inspiration pieces.


Review of What Kind of Mother by Judy Sandler
This is a raw and unflinching memoir of family, motherhood and a son’s struggles with mental ill health (bipolar disorder) and addiction.
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of The Strangling Fig by Fauzia Musa
The Strangling Fig is a gorgeously written ghost story that follows generations of women from the 1940s Partition of India through to 2000s America.
thedebutdigest
1 min read


The Bronx as Literary Inspiration: Alejandro Heredia on their debut novel, LOCA
A friend asked me recently, “how does it feel to write about a version of the city that doesn’t exist anymore?”
thedebutdigest
3 min read


Hot Water, Summer Settings and Lockdown Writing: by Bhavika Govil
Summer is a time that evokes childhood, beauty and freedom, but also becomes a setting to set a family’s tensions against, asking if they can ever break out of their own trappings.
thedebutdigest
2 min read


Review of Hot Water by Bhavika Govil
With a Rooney-esque penchant for frustrating communication styles, you'll like this book if you enjoy wanting to shake characters through the pages. Be prepared to unravel along with them.
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Underdogs by Louise Powell
I love stories that explore working class community dynamics, especially those told from the perspective of children.
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Exponential Increases and The Traveler by Joseph Eckhart
Will the Earth survive the Sun’s red giant phase, or will the Sun consume it? The projections have gone back and forth, wobbling, and no one can say for certain.
thedebutdigest
2 min read


Honey in the Wound: The Inspiration - by Jiyoung Han
How would you go on if your home was taken from you? Your family? Your language?
thedebutdigest
3 min read


Q&A with Shaun Wilson - Author of Malc's Boy
Malc’s Boy is an experimental novel in the vein of French autofiction with a Cumbrian setting.
thedebutdigest
5 min read


Reflections on a Debut Year From Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin, Author of Ordinary Saints
Still, a few weeks ago someone asked me what advice I would give my pre- publication self and I realised that I wouldn’t do very much differently.
thedebutdigest
3 min read


Review of A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang
From the Japanese occupation of Manchuria and through the Cultural Revolution to the present day, Yang explores the legacy of colonialism through three generations.
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Good People by Patmeena Sabit
A gripping literary crime novel where snippets of interviews, articles and reports piece together what happened leading up to and after the mysterious death of Afghan American teenager Zorah Sharaf.
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
This highly anticipated debut novel after Jennette McCurdy’s bestselling memoir I’m Glad my Mom Died is an extraordinary look into power dynamics, female rage and desire.
thedebutdigest
2 min read


Review of Dominion by Addie E. Citchens
Best read in one sitting, this short novel from Addie E. Citchens carries a weighty tale of religion, patriarchy and violence that feels urgent and impressive from the very first page.
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Belgrave Road by Manish Chauhan
Marketed as a love story between two people working side by side but living worlds apart yet ultimately, the novel feels like Manish Chauhan’s love letter to his home city, to Belgrave Road and the people who have faced so much to build their lives there.
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Room 706 by Ellie Levenson
Kate meets her lover in a hotel room. Room 706 to be exact. As they’re getting ready to leave, she sees on the news that their hotel has been taken hostage. This is where the nightmare begins...
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of The Merge by Grace Weller
A shocking, page-turning novel of how far science can be pushed in the face of overpopulation and human sacrifice.
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Sugartown by Caragh Maxwell
A striking Irish debut for fans of Megan Nolan, Niamh Mulvey and Christine Anne Foley.
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Catalina by Karla Cornejo
Catalina is a striking and poignant debut on political unrest and striving for a better future.
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams
This isn’t a light read, but it’s an incredibly affecting one. If you’re drawn to character-driven stories that examine toxic love, power, and emotional growth with unflinching honesty, Bitter Sweet will stay with you long after the final page.
thedebutdigest
2 min read
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