Best Debut Fiction of 2021

by Te-Ping Chen

Chen’s stories are both subtle and rich, moving and wry, and in their poignancy, they seem boundless. Full review >

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by Yoon Choi

An exceptional debut. Full review >

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by Ash Davidson

An impressively well-turned story about how environmental damage creeps into our bodies, psyches, and economies. Full review >

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by Elisa Shua Dusapin ; translated by Aneesa Abbas Higgins

A triumph. Full review >

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by Jo Hamya

Scintillating prose and sly social observation make this novel a tart pleasure. Full review >

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by Zakiya Dalila Harris

A biting social satire–cum-thriller; dark, playful, and brimming with life. Full review >

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by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

If this isn’t the Great American Novel, it's a mighty attempt at achieving one. Full review >

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by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson

A sharp debut by a writer with wit and confidence. Full review >

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by Violet Kupersmith

Drawing from genres as diverse as horror, humor, and historical fiction, Kupersmith creates a rich and dazzling spectacle. Full review >

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by Patricia Lockwood

An insightful—frequently funny, often devastating—meditation on human existence online and off. Full review >

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by Jesse McCarthy

An intellectually stimulating fiction debut. Full review >

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by Dantiel W. Moniz

Dark and lushly layered, these stories will bewitch you. Full review >

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by Nana Nkweti

Boisterous and high-spirited debut stories by a talented new writer. Full review >

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by Torrey Peters

Smart, funny, and bighearted. Full review >

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by Anthony Veasna So

Even when these stories are funny and hopeful, an inescapable history is always waiting. Full review >

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by Dawnie Walton

An intelligently executed love letter to Black female empowerment and the world of rock music. Full review >

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