This season’s impressive selection of first-time fiction writers blends elements of Native
American and Igbo traditions, Chinese symbolism, and societal divides in urban settings such as
London, Rio de Janeiro, and Berkeley, California, family struggles, and ideas of making
amends. According to Publishers Weekly, many of the emerging authors turned to fiction as a
means to delve into their chosen themes after pursuing different careers.
Uchenna Awoke
Burning the Midnight Oil
During his upbringing in southern Nigeria, Uchenna Awoke would write well into the night until
his mother extinguished the household’s only oil lamp, signaling her disapproval. “She viewed it
as a waste of kerosene, and more importantly, she feared it would lead me astray,” Awoke
reflects.
As a young adult, he provided for his family by working in agriculture and construction while
nurturing his writing dreams. Several years later, following the publication of a short story in the
literary magazine Transition, he secured a residency at the MacDowell Colony in 2018. This
experience exposed him to a wealth of global literature, which he devoured in the residency’s
library—a valuable resource that provided him with both the time and inspiration to focus on his
writing.
Awoke’s first novel, Moon’s Liquid Gaze (Catapult, June), is described as a “modern narrative
of ‘human ostracism’—a type of generational discrimination still prevalent in eastern Nigeria.”
The story follows an artist named Dimkpa on a journey from his hometown to Lagos and back,
maneuvering through various jobs, seeking education, and becoming ensnared in the nation’s
separatist political movements. The novel also delves into the family’s concealed history,
including ancient rites and folklore revolving around a formidable goddess, shedding light on the
oppression of their social class in Igbo culture.
Awoke faced violence in his agricultural community at the hands of wandering herdsmen; he
had recently been displaced from his home and sought shelter in a different village when
Catapult’s editor-in-chief Kendall Storey reached out to him. Currently residing in Fayetteville,
Arkansas, on an Artist Protection Fund fellowship until August.
Storey acquired the novel after expressing her search for African literature different from the
norm in the English-speaking world to Awoke’s agent, Annie DeWitt at the Shipman Agency.
“For various systemic and cultural reasons, particularly with Nigerian writing, the African
literature that reaches us tends to be from authors who have had formal education abroad and
have grown up in major cities,” Storey explains.
In response, DeWitt exclusively sent Awoke’s novel, set in rural Nigeria, to Catapult. “It was truly
a serendipitous conversation,” Storey remembers.
Abraham Chang
Odd and Even Numbers
Reflecting on his time as a young singer-songwriter in New York City during the 2000s, Abraham
Chang discusses Wordsworth’s idea that poetry is the recollection of emotions in a peaceful
state. Chang admits he did not have that peace and was simply expressing his feelings.
Chang’s dynamic first book, 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers (Flatiron, May), is
anything but peaceful. Flatiron vice president and editorial director Zachary Wagman praises its
“infectious energy.” The novel tells the story of Young Wang, a Chinese American growing up in
Queens, New York in the late 1990s, who interprets the world through the lens of numerology. A
glossary in the book explains the meanings of different numbers according to Chinese tradition
or Young’s personal interpretation (such as 19 symbolizing “GOOD” due to its significance in
Stephen King’s works).
Youth learns to accept the chaos in the world from his globe-trotting uncle and lively girlfriend.
Each chapter starts with a “soundtrack,” and Chang, a first-generation Chinese American raised
on Western pop culture, includes references to films by David Lynch and Brian De Palma
throughout, aiming to please “pop culture enthusiasts who will catch every hidden reference.”
As a child, Chang believed his name came from Abraham & Strauss, a store in his Queens
neighborhood. In reality, he was named after Abraham Lincoln, the focus of his grandfather’s
thesis. Chang’s grandparents moved from Taiwan through mainland China to establish a
Chinese-language newspaper, with his parents following later. He attended Stuyvesant High
School in Manhattan, then Tufts, before joining NYU’s MFA program for poetry, where his
favorite poet, Philip Levine, was a teacher.
Chang currently holds a position in special sales at Simon & Schuster. “I’ve spent the last two
decades helping other writers and authors succeed,” he says. Now, after contemplating his own
story for some time, he has no hesitation in sharing his extensive sales knowledge with the
team working on his novel. “I understand the process, so I can be their greatest supporter—or
their worst critic,” he jokes.
Maura Cheeks
Novel Legislation
Maura Cheeks took a winding path to becoming a fiction writer. After managing social media for
the New York Knicks and the U.S. Olympic Committee, she pursued an MBA at NYU and wrote
a paper on Black women in corporate America for the Harvard Business Review. This led to a
fellowship at the Atlantic and a feature in 2019 on generational wealth and racial bias.
While working at the Atlantic, Cheeks discovered Salman Rushdie’s innovative political
allegory Midnight’s Children, which inspired her to use fiction as a tool to delve into the
intricate subject of reparations. She believes that fiction allows for a more open and unrestricted
exploration of difficult topics like race compared to journalism.
Ballantine senior editor Chelcee Johns noted that when she came across Cheeks’s novel, Acts
of Forgiveness (Ballantine, Feb.), in 2021, she felt that the ongoing reparations debate lacked
compassion and depth. Johns felt that Maura’s book provided a humanizing perspective to the
conversation on reparations.
In the futuristic setting of Acts of Forgiveness, a woman becomes president of the United
States. As the great-granddaughter of Andrew Johnson, known for mishandling Reconstruction,
she introduces the Forgiveness Act to make amends for her ancestor’s errors by granting
$175,000 to descendants of enslaved individuals.
The storyline focuses on the Revels, an African American family in suburban Philadelphia. Max,
the family patriarch, runs a construction business that has placed them in the middle class, but
financial struggles endanger their livelihood. Max’s daughter Willie, who paused her journalism
career to work for the family business, decides to pursue reparations and travels to Natchez,
Mississippi, for documentation.
Cheeks aims to depict a family that prompts reflection on the necessity of reparations while
illustrating the lingering effects of slavery across generations. She tackles the intricate racial and
bureaucratic challenges involved in implementing a widespread reparations initiative,
acknowledging the potential complexities if such a program were to become a reality.
Clara Drummond
Role Play
Clara Drummond confidently reveals her favorite among the three novels she has released in
Brazil. Despite their similarities, she believes that Role Play (FSG Originals, June) stands out
as her best work, especially as her first translated work from Portuguese by Daniel Hahn.
After relocating from São Paulo to Lisbon following Jair Bolsonaro’s election in 2019,
Drummond expresses her relief at escaping the political climate in Brazil. She previously worked
as a freelance journalist covering fashion and architecture, with her earlier novels centered
around the vibrant youth culture in Brazil.
Drummond began writing Role Play the day after a high-energy New Year’s Eve party in 2013,
fueled by Red Bull and her creative drive.
Role Play tells the story of Vivian, a curator working in the vibrant art scene of Rio de Janeiro.
Despite her wealthy parents supporting her extravagant lifestyle, Vivian witnesses a violent
incident where a woman is brutally attacked by the police for selling alcohol illegally outside a
club. Initially, she brushes off the event, but when she learns of the woman’s death, she starts to
confront the social class disparities in Brazil from her unique and ironic viewpoint.
Drummond recalls feeling isolated and sad during her teenage years in a strict Catholic setting
in Rio. Transitioning to a career as a fashion journalist in São Paulo in her twenties, she is
surprised by the glamorous parties and underground nightlife, likening her experiences to that of
an anthropologist exploring a new culture.
Within the novel’s satirical examination of the upper class, Vivian, who identifies as a misandrist
and misogynist, shares her battles with depression, anxiety, and sexual impulses. Drummond
muses, “I see sex as resembling dreams in some ways. It unveils aspects of your
subconscious.”.
Gaining recognition as the voice of Brazil’s Instagram generation with her debut novel,
Drummond is eager to introduce her “biting, honest, and hilariously irreverent” book to American
audiences, as described by Farrar, Straus and Giroux editor Benjamin Brooks. He even likens it
to “Fleabag set in Rio.”
Oisín McKenna
Evenings and Weekends
The story unfolds during a sweltering heatwave, with residents feeling desperate, irritable, and
longing for connection. Amidst this backdrop, a massive bottlenose whale beaches itself on the
Thames, becoming a unifying symbol for the city’s diverse inhabitants.
The novel follows three main characters as they navigate transitions and uncertainties. Maggie
and Ed grapple with their relationship, impending parenthood, and decision to leave London for
a quieter life in Essex. Meanwhile, Phil, a friend from their past, navigates complex relationships
in his crowded living situation, all while preparing for a party in his illegal loft. McKenna captures
the precariousness of youth in the trio’s romantic, financial, and living dilemmas.
Throughout the weekend, the characters wander through London, soaking in its rich history and
charm. The novel serves as a tribute to the city, exploring both its allure and the challenges of
living in a place designed for economic struggle.
McKenna’s background in theater and performance shines through in his writing, infusing the
narrative with humor, rhythm, and emotion. Drawing from his own experiences of inner turmoil
contrasting with outward reserve, he delves into the tension between private thoughts and
public expression, creating suspenseful moments of revelation.
While McKenna is comfortable on stage, he admits to being shy in his personal life. Through
fiction, he found a way to channel his intensity into storytelling, capturing the essence of human
emotions and connections in the bustling cityscape of London.
