Ann Patchett Shares 4 Debut Books You Probably Missed—And a Look at Her Own Little-Known First Book

Ever fall in love with a book, only to discover the author has been publishing beautiful work for decades? You’re filled with a rush of joy as you realize you can go back and read all their old stuff. Bestselling author Ann Patchett knows that feeling. And she’s sharing four debut books that prove some writers are geniuses right from the start. Patchett, who’s never met a book recommendation she didn’t love sharing, is telling us exactly which stories are worth going back to discover. Add these memorable backlist book picks to your fall reading wishlist today!

Why Ann Patchett says debut novels are worth discovering

Patchett recently revealed on social media a funny quirk she’s noticed over the years. “When somebody comes up to me and says, ‘I’ve been a fan of yours since your very first book,’  I know that 99 percent of the time they mean Bel Canto, which is not the first book I wrote.” She added, “But it’s the first book of mine that anybody actually read.” Superfans of the Whistler author know her debut novel was actually called The Patron Saint of Liars. Curious about the story, which rates an impressive 4.2 stars on Amazon? It is the story of a woman who willingly extends her stay at a temporary home for unwed mothers to raise her child—and the secrets that follow her there.

Keep reading as Patchett reveals four book recommendations that prove an author’s debut novel is definitely worth going back to and reading if you missed it the first time around. Each one offers that cozy, can’t-put-it-down feeling we all crave. Ready to discover your next favorite author? Here’s where Patchett says to start…

‘Love Medicine’ by Louise Erdrich

Patchett laments, “There are a lot of books to choose from. Maybe you don’t know where to start. This is a great place to start: at the beginning!” How about Louise Erdrich’s debut novel, Love Medicine? “It was a huge award-winning success when it came out in 1984,” recalls Patchett of the author best known for her more recent books The Night Watchman and The Sentence. “Louise was a genius, and a bestseller, and an award winner right out of the gate. She is prolific. She is consistently brilliant and arguably the best living writer on this planet.”

What’s it about? This story, told poetically, follows multiple generations of two Native American families grappling with anger, passion and healing. One reviewer shared, “I am now planning on reading everything by Erdrich I can—luckily for me she has written quite a bit over the years, so I can take my time and maybe not even run out of material.”

‘Pilgrims’ by Elizabeth Gilbert

But Erdrich isn’t the only author that comes to Patchett’s mind when thinking about promising debuts. She teased, “Everybody read Liz Gilbert’s first book, Eat, Pray, Love. Ha! No, it wasn’t her first book. It was her fourth book!” Gilbert’s actual first book? Patchett explained, “Is a tiny short story collection called Pilgrims that nobody read, and it is one of the most beautiful and perfect short story collections I’ve ever read.” Patchett added, “Liz said to me once, she will never again in her life work as hard on anything as she did on this book.”

What’s it about? This collection came out in 1997, long before Gilbert became a household name. It explores a diverse set of characters—a laborer, a musician, a cowboy—as they set off on solo pilgrimages of sorts. Online reviewers described the book as, “Strange. Quirky. Wonderful!!… It’s astonishing how she can inhabit so many varied characters. I wanted each story to go on forever. Such original plots, no cliches.”

‘The Secret Life of Bees’ by Sue Monk Kidd

Although Sue Monk Kidd wrote other short-form pieces before, The Secret Life of Bees was her first novel. Patchett’s store Parnassus Books has lauded this novel over and over since it came out in 2002. And Patchett has great admiration for its creator. When asked in an interview if she knows the author, Sue Monk Kidd, who wrote The Book of Longing and The Invention of Wings, personally, Patchett said, “Yes, and not only that, we like each other.”

What’s it about? Described as a novel of “divine female power” this story centers on young, motherless Lily and the strong group of women beekeepers who help raise her in South Carolina in 1964. One online reader revealed, “I like to read it again anytime I’m longing to remember days of how we discover ourselves. I’ve read it in bed when I’ve needed a night light and had to turn the pages. I’ve read it on Kindle. I’ve listened to it on Audible. It’s good every time.”

‘The Song of Achilles’ by Madeline Miller

This author is currently on bestseller lists for her mythical novel Circe. But her first novel, from 2012, was The Song of Achilles. Patchett’s early praise helped catapult the debut novel to stardom. How? Parnassus Books named The Song of Achilles its inaugural title pick for a program called The First Editions Club. And Patchett even blurbed the book, writing, “At once a scholar’s homage to The Iliad and startlingly original work of art… A book I could not put down.” Patchett shared in a podcast interview what being an early fan of this book meant. “Heaven knows it really made us look like the smartest people in the world.”

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What’s it about? Part love story, part adventure tale, it is a fresh retelling of the legend of the Trojan War. One fan shared, “The most interesting thing about this story is how the story is told. We see the rise and fall of Achilles, through the eyes of his companion/lover, Patroclus.”

Bottom line: If you missed these four talented authors’ debut books, there’s always time to go back and fall in love with their work from the very beginning. As Patchett says, “If you haven’t read it, it’s new to you!” So slip on some cozy socks, brew a pot of tea and curl up with one of these debut book picks today!