An Observer Best Debut Novelist 2026

In Bloom – Liz Allan

'I loved this book . . . raw, grungy and frenetic' ALICE SLATER
'Part Virgin Suicides, part Veronica Mars' LOUISE HEGARTY
'Allan's powerful debut smells unmistakably like teen spirit' GUARDIAN

Chasing Freedom – Simukai Chigudu

'Intimate and epic' SATHNAM SANGHERA
‘Remarkable . . . a work of real power and beauty’ AMIA SRINIVASAN
'Writes compellingly, lucidly and beautifully . . . an eye-opener’ ZEINAB BADAWI
'A powerful memoir of postcolonial unease... compelling' GUARDIAN

Sunday Times Best-Seller

My Gardening Life – Mary Berry

Well-known and loved as a cookery writer and presenter, this is Mary Berry’s deeply personal account of the second great love of her life, gardening. She shares her love of growing plants, visiting gardens, and getting hands-on in her own plot.

Our Numbered Bones – Katya Balen

'A gut-punch of a novel' EMMA DONOGHUE
'Beautifully written and especially moving' DAILY MAIL
'A deeply atmospheric story about loss' THE STANDARD
'A beautiful and accomplished portrayal of a woman's loss' IRISH NEWS

Tell Me How You Eat – Amber Husain

'Deeply researched and original' RUBY TANDOH
'Stunningly profound and politically rousing' SOPHIE LEWIS
'What a treat to be so compelled to turn the page' LOTTIE HAZELL

Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal & Jhalak Prize

Songs For Ghosts – Clara Kumagai

OUT NOW IN PAPERBACK
'A deeply satisfying read' IRISH TIMES
'A beautiful and highly original voice' OBSERVER

WATERSTONES' BOOK OF THE MONTH | SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

The Brain at Rest – Joseph Jebelli

OUT NOW IN PAPERBACK
'Supremely helpful' SUNDAY TIMES
'A tonic for the frazzled mind' DAVID ROBSON

Out Now in Paperback

Overnight – Dan Richards

'The height of crafted eloquence' SAMANTHA HARVEY
'Night has grown to seem vibrant and companionable' OBSERVER
'A paean of gratitude to every form of labour in the wee small hours' SPECTATOR

Out Now in Paperback

The Sun Rising – Anna Whitelock

'Game-changing' LITERARY REVIEW
'Well-informed, fluid and fascinating' THE TIMES
'Refreshing break with the Anglo-centricity of so much recent writing on James VI' TLS

Out Now in Paperback

The Undisputed King of Selston – Danny Scott

'Evocative, beautifully written' JEREMY VINE
'A poignant and funny account of life in a coal mining town in the 1970' GUARDIAN

Out Now in Paperback

An Enemy in the Village – Martin Walker

'A tense thriller that still lets you savour the tastes of France' DAILY MAIL
'Atmospheric and wonderfully multi-layered whodunits' LANCASHIRE POST

Out Now in Paperback

Holy Places – Kathryn Hurlock

'One simply cannot do justice to Kathryn Hurlock's vivid and remarkably wide-ranging page-turner' COUNTRY LIFE
'An account of the huge variety of human practice and belief' NEW STATESMAN

Out Now in Paperback

The Far Edges Of The Known World – Owen Rees

‘A tour of those far-flung places where Romans rarely dared to venture’ THE TIMES

Out Now in Paperback

Is This Working? – Charlie Colenutt

‘Unique and unexpectedly moving: it’s a choral work of frustration, pride and despair’ TELEGRAPH
'An intimate and enlightening portrait of modern working life that left me very moved' SUNDAY TIMES

Out Now in Paperback

The Elopement – Gill Hornby

‘A richly imagined family saga, love story and social comedy’ THE TIMES
‘Has all the wit and wisdom of a Jane Austen novel’ RED

Out Now in Paperback

Bad Friend – Tiffany Watt Smith

'A brilliant ode to the necessity and complexity of female friendship' SPECTATOR
'A wonderful, tender, joyous book. I urge you to read it' SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB

The Oak and the Larch – Sophie Pinkham

'A fascinating book' GUARDIAN
One of INSIDE HOOKS' 11 Books You Should Be Reading This January
‘Strikingly original. A clever way to retell Russian history’ THE TIMES
'An expansive study of the role of wilderness in Russian imagination' NYT

It’s On You – Nick Chater & George Loewenstein

‘A stirring call to action’ TIM HARFORD
‘A masterclass’ DARON ACEMOGLU
'An excellent book' NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB

Caller Unknown – Oliver Johnson

'Full of exciting episodes of fight and flight' LITERARY REVIEW
'Oliver Johnson is a sparkling new talent - and a name to watch' PETER JAMES
'Reminiscent of vintage Stephen King' TOM HARPER

Parenting Anxiety – Meredith Elkins

The first evidence-based guide to empowering both children and parents to battle their anxiety

Worlds of Islam – James McDougall

'There is simply no better book on Islam in history’ EUGENE ROGAN
From its birth in seventh-century Arabia, Islam has been a faith on the move. James McDougall explores its origins and transformations from Late Antiquity to the digital age.

Where The Dragon Waits – Tom Moorhouse

After his dad's boat crashes, Ed finds himself on a strange beach. He meets a girl - headstrong Steff - who doesn't know where they are, either. As Ed and Steff explore, they discover the deep lore of this new realm and learn that the only way home involves a dragon who lives at the top of an impossibly tall, rocky spire . . .

10th Anniversary Edition

The Silk Roads – Peter Frankopan

'A proper historical epic of dazzling range and achievement' WILLIAM DALRYMPLE
'So ambitious, so detailed and so fascinating' SUNDAY TIMES Books of the Decade