Born and raised in Southern California, Brit Bennett graduated from Stanford University and later earned her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers. Her work is featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Paris Review, and Jezebel.
Stag Dance (2025) Torrey Peters "Spellbinding. With pathos and wit, Peters explores characters who find themselves on the brink of self-discovery while also grappling with the challenge and promise of community. I loved this book."
The Volcano Daughters (2024) Gina María Balibrera "A gripping and spellbinding novel about a sisterhood ripped apart by violence, narrated by a ghostly chorus. An unforgettable debut."
This Great Hemisphere (2024) Mateo Askaripour "This Great Hemisphere is an inventive and immersive epic that follows its brave invisible protagonist as she navigates a futuristic new world that often mirrors our own. A thrilling page-turner."
Ours (2024) Phillip B Williams "A beautifully-written and ambitious epic about the complexity of freedom. Williams crafts an expansive, original world filled with characters who linger long after the final page."
Wellness (2023) Nathan Hill "A hilarious and moving exploration of a modern marriage that astounds in its breadth and intimacy."
Brotherless Night (2023) V V Ganeshananthan "A heart-breaking exploration of a family fractured by civil war. This beautiful, nuanced novel follows a young doctor caught within conflicting ideologies as she tries to save lives. I couldn't put this book down."
A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times (2022) Meron Hadero "Witty and wistful, complex and heartbreaking, these stories capture lives caught between cultures and continents, past and present, truth and lies. As its displaced characters seek belonging, this collection explores the challenges of connection with empathy and nuance. A thrilling debut."
A House Between Earth and the Moon (2022) Rebecca Scherm "Inventive and thrilling, A House Between Earth and the Moon dives into the near-future climate apocalypse with eerie prescience, startling humor, and, somehow, hope. I couldn't put it down."
Here Again Now (2022) Okechukwu Nzelu "A beautiful exploration of grief and family, written in exquisite prose and told with compassion and tenderness."
Notes on an Execution (2022) Danya Kukafka "A searing portrait of the complicated women caught in the orbit of a serial killer. . . . Compassionate and thought-provoking."
Matrix (2021) Lauren Groff "Both epic and intimate, this sweeping novel explores questions of female ambition, creativity and passion with electrifying prose and sparkling wit. A propulsive, captivating read."
Afterparties (2021) Anthony Veasna So "Afterparties weaves through a Cambodian-American community in the shadow of genocide, following the children of refugees as they grapple with the complexities of masculinity, class, and family. Anthony Veasna So explores the lives of these unforgettable characters with bracing humor and startling tenderness. A stunning collection from an exciting new voice."
Via Negativa (2020) Daniel Hornsby "A beautiful and meditative exploration of shattered faith. Daniel Hornsby follows a damaged priest's journey through the American heartland after a disturbing discovery shakes his belief in the church to which he has devoted his life. A quietly devastating book from an exciting new voice."
Luster (2020) Raven Leilani "A darkly funny, hilariously moving debut from a stunning new voice. Luster follows the unforgettable Edie, a hapless young woman suffocating under her own loneliness, whose caustic observations made me laugh out loud and gasp in recognition. Raven Leilani crafts a beautiful, bighearted story about intimacy and art that will astound and wound you. I couldn’t put this one down."
America for Beginners (2018) Leah Franqui "Compassionate and funny, America For Beginners delves into the complications of family as three unlikely companions venture across a country that challenges their understanding of themselves. A charming debut by a fresh new voice."
Number One Chinese Restaurant (2018) Lillian Li "A darkly comic novel about complicated families?those created by blood and those forged through circumstance. With wit and heart, Li explores a Chinese-American community torn between ambition and loyalty as each character strives for a world bigger than the restaurant that has bound them together. An exciting debut."
