Vanessa Chan was born and raised in Malaysia. Her short stories have been published in Electric Lit, Kenyon Review, Ecotone, and more. The Storm We Made, which will be published in over twenty languages, is her first novel.
Peach Pit (2023) edited by Kristel Buckley and Molly Llewellyn
Vanessa Chan recommends
Names Have Been Changed (2026) Yu-Mei Balasingamchow "Names Have Been Changed is a spiky, smart story about an itinerant Singaporean ex-con who yearns above all, to return. It's a book about displacement, friendship, diaspora, love, and criminal enterprise, but above all, the gasping need for connection, when home is out of reach."
A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing (2026) Alice Evelyn Yang "The sentences in A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing vibrate with the pleasure of poetry, even while they unveil a profound story of a family confronting the darkness of their lineage -- a beautiful ode about their will to survive the, at times terrible, forces of history. Alice Evelyn Yang is a stunning new talent."
Big Chief (2025) Jon Hickey "Big Chief is an explosive exploration of power and its corrupting effect. Jon Hickey takes us on a feverish journey in the days leading up to a hotly contested tribal election, where loyalties are being sharply tested, and the lines between right and wrong have become blurred. I found myself holding my breath as I turned the page -- as the characters struggled to figure out how to be on the right side of history. This book is an astounding achievement."
All That Life Can Afford (2025) Emily Everett "There's no one who romanticizes her life better than Anna Byrne, who has lived her whole life wishing she was a quirky Austenian heroine, and then suddenly, with some luck and a lot of nerve, she is. Languid, escapist, romantic, and just so fun to read, All That Life Can Afford feels like an amalgam of all the most interesting Austenian protagonists - except in this novel she is a millennial American from Massachusetts thrust into the wealthiest, most fashionable set of contemporary London. Emily Everett captures, with a wry smirk, the optimism and confusion of coming of age, of falling in love, and of trying to fit in - while everything threatens to fall apart. She asks the age-old question - if you change what you appear to be, can you change who you really are? Jane Austen would be proud."
The Persians (2025) Sanam Mahloudji "Filled with heartbreak, humor, and so much love, The Persians is a sharp exploration of the concerns of a wealthy Iranian family. Sanam Mahloudji takes us on a journey to reshape our understanding of power, heritage, and ancestry - and brings a rare wisdom to the chaos of family."
A Thousand Times Before (2024) Asha Thanki "With tender lyricism, A Thousand Times Before takes us on a profound and intricately woven journey of matrilineal inheritance. What do we gain and lose when the past and present intertwine, and the future can be written, and how do live with the life, love, and regrets of all those who came before? A story of fate, and the remaking of destiny, as the larger forces of history try, but fail to break the brave women in Asha Thanki's story."
Malas (2024) Marcela Fuentes "Malas is a marvel. At once epic and intimate, is packed with a cast of unforgettable characters - teenage members of a punk band, frustrated fathers trying to outrun a curse, women whose friendship transcends time and circumstance - all desperate to be seen. And Marcela Fuentes lets us see these characters in all their facets and flaws as we laugh, cry, and live alongside them."
The Ministry of Time (2024) Kaliane Bradley "What a stunning and remarkable wonder! What if time travel was run by a bureaucracy? . . . There's something here for everyone - world history, side-splitting humour, lusty tension, brilliant prose, and characters to root for desperately. . . The Ministry of Time is the most vibe-forward book I have ever read."
Cinema Love (2024) Jiaming Tang "Cinema Love grasps you tightly in the heart, then does not let go. A tender and enrapturing feat of storytelling, this novel unwraps the brightest and darkest moments of queer love and all its humanity. The stories of the men and women in this book swallowed me whole, and I will never forget them."
Valley Verified (2024) Kyla Zhao "Kyla Zhao captures, with zing, brightness, and humor - how harrowing it is to be young and ambitious in the workplace. Valley Verified is lively and entertaining; I found myself chuckling throughout."
