The latest debut that I am just finishing is A Working Theory of Love by Scott Hutchins. This is a different piece of psychological fiction with divorcee Neill Bassett attempting to balance his unsteady personal life with his job. His job is with a small company trying to create the first intelligent computer that can process natural language, the goal being that the computer can actually trick someone into thinking they are talking with a live person. The language is generated from Neill's deceased father's extensive journal. As Neill has "conversations" with the computer, he begins to think that he is vying for the attention of his father. There are so many questions one can ask after reading this well-crafted debut novel and I cannot wait for Hutchins next title.
Of course, I leave you once again with a few more terrific debuts:
Taft 2012 by Jason Heller- With election season heating up, try this humorous debut that imagines William Howard Taft disappearing at the end of his term as president, only to reappear on the scene in 2011.
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson- With a title like that, how can you not pick this up? This Swedish debut, finally available in the United States, is a hilarious tale of Allan Karlsson, who escapes through the window of his nursing home room and finds himself in all kinds of trouble. Along the way, we get flashbacks to the important events in history that Allan has not only seen, but had major influence upon.
Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson- Wilson has a memoir and graphic novel to her credit but this is her first work of prose fiction. The plot involves computer hacker Alif, whose program gets him into trouble with all-seeing security presence, The Hand. While dealing with this, he also finds himself in possession of the, Alf Yeom, known for containing mystical powers.
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