A debut novel exists in a space unlike any other. To read a debut is to witness the first beginnings of a writer’s voice, to encounter an author before society, and before the literary world, has decided who they are. This has been my experience reading my Goldsboro Fresh Ink editions.
Among the Fresh Ink selections I’ve read, three have stayed with me long after finishing the last chapters: Lost Lambs, Yesteryear and The Ballad of Ronan McCoy. Though each different, all three titles embody the qualities that make a debut fiction so rewarding.
Lost Lambs
by Madeleine Cash
“Alright. Dream?” “I have this one where I’m on fire, burning alive from self-immolation right in the middle of English class, and everyone just keeps going about their business, not paying attention to me, no one stops, they just keep doing their worksheets while I’m burning.”
I feel as though I will be talking about this book forever. It is unsettling, darkly funny and astonishingly perceptive. I cannot remember the last time a novel made me laugh out loud so often. There is an intensity to the novel that refuses to leave you. This is not only true of its themes and characters, but in the way it captures something essential about society and human nature. I find myself returning to pages of the book, in awe of the profound observations and sentences that carry such extraordinary weight.
Yesteryear
by Caro Claire Burke
“A voice in my head, echoing softly: America hates angry women. The Lord hates angry women. You hate angry women. Do not be an angry woman.”
Yesteryear is daring, incisive and timely. Recently, I noticed someone reading it in the airport and couldn’t resist asking what they thought. That is the kind book Yesteryear is, it invites discussion and debate, forcing readers to confront uncomfortable truths about society, identity and the expectations placed upon women.
The Ballad of Ronan McCoy
by Colin Morgan
‘Grief’, Mr Feeney always said, ‘is a strange thing. No two people ever feel the same way and no two people ever feel the same afterwards,’
Reading The Ballad of Ronan McCoy was an entirely different experience. This novel unfolds with a tenderness and patience. It’s exploration of friendship, grief and the complexities of coming of age are deeply moving and universally relatable. Discussing this book in store with customers has sparked many conversations about its emotional impact, which feels like one the most powerful aspects of the book.
It is a privilege to become part of the conversation these books inspire. Before literary prizes or bestseller lists define a writer’s career, there is simply the story itself, finding its first readers and inviting them into discovering a new voice. There is something profoundly unique in being part of that journey at Goldsboro, sharing these reading experiences with other readers, customers, colleagues, friends and even strangers.
