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Review Archive
Here you can find all of our past book reviews.


Review of The Borrowed Hills by Scott Preston
The Borrowed Hills is one of John Murrays’ leading 2024 titles and I can absolutely see why - the writing is exceptional, visceral,...
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard
The idea of this book is so utterly fantastic I was sold in the first ten pages! Odile Ozanne lives in the valley of the Chemin des Pins....
thedebutdigest
2 min read


Review of Dancing in the Shallows by Clare Reddaway
I devoured this book in a single sitting! Centred around Isla Wintergreen who suddenly moves to the Isle of Skye following the death of...
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
This is probably my favourite debut so far this year! In this powerful novel we follow Cyrus Shams, a man trying to make sense of life...
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of The Lodgers by Holly Pester
What a strange and quirky piece of literary fiction. A woman with a particularly perceptive intellect moves into a flat opposite her...
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Ours by Phillip B. Williams
Spanning decades from the 1800s to as far as the late 1900s, Ours tells the story of the antebellum US from a different standpoint. At...
thedebutdigest
2 min read


Review of Pity by Andrew McMillan
Set in Barnsley, Pity tells the story of three generations of men and their relationship with the history of where they were born. We...
thedebutdigest
2 min read


Review of The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
Set in Malaya during the Second World War, this novel follows the destruction and ruin of the country, narrating the atrocities of child...
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams
The House of Broken Bricks is Faber’s leading 2024 debut, exploring the complexity of grief, identity, and internal family dynamics....
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Central Places by Delia Cai
This is a fast-paced debut all about love, family, self-understanding and belonging. Recently-engaged couple Audrey and Ben visit...
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of Avenues by Train by Farai Mudzingwa
Avenues by Train is a clever, eclectically written novel which follows seven-year-old Jedza, who witnesses the tragic death of his...
thedebutdigest
1 min read


Review of The Old Haunts by Allan Radcliffe
Allan Radcliffe is a celebrated journalist and has written award-winning short stories, so I was very much looking forward to his debut...
thedebutdigest
2 min read
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