As hard as it is to believe, 2025 is now well and truly upon us and the time has come to move from writing best books of the year lists to most exciting upcoming books of the year ahead. Thankfully, while everyone else was trying to get as much rest as could be squeezed in over Christmas/New Year, the book/publishing world never truly stops and we’ve already got some great titles releasing soon, as well as exciting authors slated to release new books this year that are well worth keeping an eye on.
The big release for February is the new Han Kang ‘We Do Not Part’. I’m only about 100 pages in but I can already tell it’ll be an early favourite of the year. The central plot is deceptively simple- a woman struggling through a snowstorm to check on a friend's budgie- but there’s an ever present menace lingering in these pages and I can’t wait to see it unfold.
Another Nobel winner also has a new book out in Feb, with Annie Ernaux’s ‘The Use of Photography’, finally reaching New Zealand. In it, the great French essayist examines her relationship with former partner Marc Marie, using images he took of their time together. Ernaux is both brilliant and experimental and I can’t wait to see how she explores the interactions between the two mediums.
Less well known but no less brilliant is Gerald Murnane, whose book on writing ‘Barley Patch’ is being re-released by one of my favourite small presses that same month. No one else I’ve read can write quite like he can; his novels push the boundary of what fiction means and can do. I would hazard a guess that a Nobel prize isn’t too far away from him either. Finally, we have a memoir by Geraldine Brooks, author of ‘People of the Brook’ and ‘Horse’, focusing on the loss of her husband.
March is always a great month for new releases and this year is no exception. Perhaps the biggest literary release of the year 'Dream Count’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, her first book in a decade, lands early in the month. ‘Americanah’ and ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ are two of those books that I’ve always told myself I should read and have just never quite gotten to, so I’m particularly excited to finally read an Adichie. ‘Twist’ by Colum McCann is also released that month, which might win the award for best book with least inviting premise. While it bills itself as a book about repairing undersea internet cables and even goes as far as to have a massive cable on the front cover, it’s surprisingly a very compelling read. McCann is best known for his novel ‘Apeirogon’, which focused on the bond between two Israeli and Palestinian fathers. In ‘Twist’ he continues to focus on the connection between people, but in this case the way in which those bonds can fracture and the consequences of that. It's already an early 2025 staff favourite! Keep an eye out for ‘Flesh’ by David Szalazy and ‘The Antidote’ by Karen Russell, two wonderful writers releasing new books in March.
There are a number of amazing authors releasing books later in the year. Ocean Vuong is releasing his first novel since ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ with ‘The Emperor of Gladness’- described as a friendship between a suicidal teen and a elderly women with dementia. I’m sure it will be as poetic and heart-wrenching as his previous works.
My bet for saddest book of the year is Yiyan Li’s memoir on grief, written after her sons suicide in early 2024. ‘Where Reasons End’, her last novel, a conversation between a mother and her dead son, was inspired by the death of her first son in 2017 and was achingly beautiful. I expect her memoir will be emotional, unflinchingly honest and beautifully written.
On a less heavy note R F Kuang, after the runaway success of ‘Yellowface’ and ‘Babel’, returns with another book of dark magical academia. ‘Katabasis’ has been described as a cross between Piranesi and Dante's Inferno, which personally, sounds extremely fun. It is out in August.
Ali Smith is also slated to release the companion novel to ‘Gliff’, aptly titled ‘Glyph’, in 2025. ‘Gliff’ was my favourite book of last year and I would not be surprised at all if ‘Glyph’ was my favourite of this one. Ben Okri and Catherine Lacey also have new books out later in the year, both of which sound typically experimental and interesting.
Two titles, one fiction and one non-fiction, are clear standouts in the New Zealand book sector. ‘The Book of Guilt’ by Catherine Chidgey is published late May and Chidgey is an author who never seems to miss. This one is a dystopia set in a government home in 1970s England and early reviews say it is exactly as good as it sounds. For non-fiction, Jacinda Ardern’s autobiography ‘A Different Kind of Power’ releases in June. While I usually steer clear of politicians' biographies as, with a few notable exceptions, I find they often write a sentence on their mistakes and a chapter for every minor win, but I think this one could definitely be a good read. Whatever you think about Jacinda, she undoubtedly led New Zealand through a tumultuous time in its history with great grace and eloquence. Also watch out for Duncan Sarkies ‘Star Gazers’ which aims to bring Alpacas into fictional relevance and Tina Makeriti’s ‘The Compulsion In Us’, her first nonfiction release, centred on the wahine that have inspired her.
2025 is also looking like it’ll be a great year for weird books. Two of the greats release new books this year, with Sayaka Murata following up ‘Earthlings’ and ‘Convenience Store Women’ with ‘Vanishing World’ a dystopian novel where all children are born via artificial insemination. At the end of the year we can all look forward to the prequel/sequel to Mona Awad’s ‘Bunny’ with ‘We Love You Bunny’. Expect both of these to be disturbing, imaginative with sections that leave you reeling. ‘Blob’ by Maggie Su, which arrives in store soon, also looks like an incredibly fun book. In it, a woman defies conventions and falls in love with a sentient blob. Reviewers are tipping it to be one of the most exciting debuts of the year, maximising the potential of its concept to deliver an excellent satire on desire and modern relationships. Another debut, tipped for an April NZ release, that couldn’t help but catch my attention is ‘Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert’ by Bob the Drag Queen. While I don’t know what to expect from a book about a time travelling Harriet Tubman recording an album, it’ll certainly be unique.
