Promising debutes or sophomores

[hampusforev]

I'm sure there has been several threads on this topic, so forgive me for starting a new one, but I'd like something a bit more specific. At the moment I'm plowing through the great classics, I'm loving Anna Karenina and have read Moby Dick several times. Great as these canonical works are, it seems a bit, I don't know, like I'm only reading them because "you ought to". Don't get me wrong, I get absolutely get why Melville and Tolstoy should be read, and I agree, but I can't escape the feeling that there's something lazy and "safe" in just reading already well established classics. So therefore I'm petitioning you, my fellow readers, to submit very striking and great debuts or at the most, second time published authors. Works by authors, who you feel will stand the test of time. Bold predictions, to be precise. There's no awards, just that general feeling of "I was right", which we all know and love. Keep the novels from 2000- to the present day.

Cheers!

[mal4mac]

Douglas Coupland - I'm reading "Player One" at the moment - gripping stuff, great ideas, interesting and (just about!) believable characters...

Not second time published, (it's his 18th book!), but not a lazy, safe choice...

I don't think it's fair to limit people to debut novels, very few classic writers would be classic writers if we were stuck with their first novels...

[hampusforev]

Well the point is that it's supposed to be bold predictions, for example Cormac McCarthy's debut might not have gone down in history but you could tell that the guy had potential. It's not that their debut is supposed to be a "modern classic", it has more to do with identifying up and coming talents.

[mortalterror]

Go read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong.

[Alexander III]

Instead ok looking at the present why don't you read authors from the past whom are considered great, but little read comparatively to other canonical writers.

For instance:

Comte de Lautréamont - Les Chants de Maldoror

Torquato Tasso - Jerusalem Delivered

Matsuo Bashō - The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Gabriele d'Annunzio - The Child of Pleasure

[hampusforev]

Instead ok looking at the present why don't you read authors from the past whom are considered great, but little read comparatively to other canonical writers.

For instance:

Comte de Lautréamont - Les Chants de Maldoror

Torquato Tasso - Jerusalem Delivered

Matsuo Bashō - The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Gabriele d'Annunzio - The Child of Pleasure

Well that's a great topic, but I'm afraid it might get a bit derailed. Following that thought, I always felt that William Gass should get more love.

Other than that, thanks moral terror, I've read Incident of the dog and meh, I felt it a bit lacking. But still, the others I shall check out.

[Buh4Bee]

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon- I agree, I wasn't a huge fan. The Kite Runner however, was fantastic. I also liked Angela's Ashes. It is a great memoir.
This is a great thread. I myself also end of reading certain books, because I feel obligated. However, after reading such quality, the dejour stuff on the library shelf is hard to stomach sometimes.

[sixsmith]

Go read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong.

Given that the bolded are the third novels of the respective authors, they don't exactly match the OP's criteria. However, given that said criteria is a tad arbitrary, I wholeheartedly endorse them both, particularly Cloud Atlas.

[kennings]

I found an author online, Eric M. Black. His website says he has an agent but is not published yet. He has the first three chapters of each of his novels on the site. I would recommend Jack. His other books seemed interesting.

[sparkly buttons]

My first thought was Zadie Smith and White Teeth.

[prendrelemick]

^ So was mine. (I've been recommending it all over this board.)

[Venerable Bede]

There is an author of Roman historical fiction named Ben Kane who has written three books so far. I started reading him when his second book had just come out. There are problems with his writing but he is decent and he well improve with his future novels. Might be worth your time to check him out.