The Best Debut Books of 2024, According to Debutiful

Scraping by in New York City’s Chinatown, Bao Mei and her husband, Old Second, have been married for over 30 years, but their marriage is anything but typical. Years ago, they met in rural China at a cinema, where Bao Mei worked at the box office, and where Old Second frequented as a customer…and as a gay man seeking love. In between showings of classic war films were gay men seeking trysts, with Bao Mei acting as the keeper of their secrets. But then Old Second’s sexuality is discovered, and he and Bao Mei flee to the United States to face uncertainty. With Cinema Love, we see the cost of love, immigration, and how the past can forever flavor the present. —Erica Ezeifedi

From an abuela-turned-marionette to mango farmers, reggaetón stars, and cyborgs, the characters and stories in this debut collection explore the past, present, and future of Central America.

Also, that cover is one of my favorites of the year. —Erica Ezeifedi

I don’t know how to talk about this book without sounding like a wild-eyed fangirl pero ahí les va. Columbian American teen Luciana has been tasked with serving as caretaker to her abuela while trying to get through her senior year of high school. She’s also trying to convince Abue to evacuate the family home as Hurricane Irma barrels its way toward Miami. Then Abue receives a crushing medical diagnosis, and the already eccentric, stubborn old woman digs in her heels, refusing to leave. Through a series of phone calls to Luciana’s older sister that are so fully drawn that you feel like you’re listening in on another line, we get to know Luciana, Abue, Luciana’s mother, and other women in the family as they unpack long-buried secrets, generational trauma (oof), and all the hot goss. This debut is a warm hug, a full-body laugh, a punch to the gut, and the juiciest chisme—plus my kind of profanity. I just love it, so much. —Vanessa Diaz

The characters of this Lagos-set short story collection seek freedom from the shackles of the past. In 12 deliciously eerie stories, a woman bears an uncanny resemblance to a wicked but deceased grandmother, an architect comes across a house set on vengeance, and a girl gets kidnapped by the local market’s tomato seller.

This was also a finalist for the National Book Awards prize for fiction. —Erica Ezeifedi

At 30 years old, Theron learns that his childhood friend and first love, Jake, has died in a car crash. Theron and Jake had been in two car crashes together as teenagers, but he wasn’t there for this final one. Theron reflects on when they first met, smoking weed and listening to Metallica together, and the heartbreak of them drifting apart as young adults. Kirkus calls is a “dirtbag Call Me by Your Name,” and reviews all agree: this will make you cry. —Danika Ellis

An unnamed author slept with the devil at a Halloween party in 1999, like you do, and then went on to write stories about him each time she saw him again throughout her life. That’s the premise behind the eight linked stories in Ananda Lima’s debut, a collection that transports readers to the United States and Brazil. This fascinating debut reads like a novel told in fragments. —Vanessa Diaz

In this new, queer take on the “unhinged mothers” genre, we follow Kit, a young mother who is still reeling from the death of her sister several years ago. A vacation with her best friend after his boyfriend broke up with him was supposed to be an escape for them both, but now she’s finding it hard to go back to her old routine and is fantasizing about blowing up her life — like maybe having a threesome with her kid’s gymnastic teacher and one of the Cool Moms. Soon she’s losing her grip on what’s real — including whether her sister is really gone. —Danika Ellis