Debut London Literature

All of these debuts are set, at least in part, in London, taking us from the industrial docklands of the Thames to the rubble and girl gangs of post-war London, to affluent neighbourhoods and precarious living, to the African diasporic communities of east London and beyond.

Set in 1980s London, Jamaica Road, by Lisa Smith, is a transformative love story about two best friends who fall for each other, fall apart, and try to find their way back together in their tight-knit British-Jamaican community.

Brilliantly observed and darkly funny, Róisín Lanigan’s I Want to Go Home But I’m Already There is a ghost story set in the rental crisis. A wonderfully clear-eyed portrait of loneliness, loss and belonging, it examines what it means to feel at home.

The King’s Head, by Kelly Frost, is a fierce story about friendship and competition set among London’s forgotten girl gangs. Bound by wild friendship and brutal competition, these young women will do anything to carve a space for themselves in the ruthless city.

In Funmi Fetto’s Hail Mary, nine Nigerian women discover what it means to confront traditional expectations that have held them hostage for too long, bringing to life the rich diversity of Nigerian women’s experiences in these wide-ranging, sometimes interlinked, stories.

Funmi Fetto, a London-based journalist and editor, is currently the Style Editor at British Vogue. As a journalist, her work largely intersects across art, beauty, culture, race and identity.

Kelly Frost grew up in Salisbury and lives and works in Jersey as a communications professional. The Kings Head, her first novel, was named a Sunday Times best historical book of the year.

Róisín Lanigan is an editor and writer based in London and Belfast. Her work has appeared in i-D, VICE and The Atlantic, among other publications.

Lisa Smith is a writer from south London born to Caribbean parents. She has an MA in Creative & Life Writing from Goldsmiths, University of London.