Waterstones reveals shortlist for its fourth debut fiction prize - here's the books in the running

The prize for debut fiction of all forms is voted for by Waterstones booksellers.

This year’s shortlist takes readers from the metropolises of New York and London to the depths of the Provençal countryside and rural Ireland, via a Swedish cabin and a holy Indian river.

Last year’s winner, Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, shot into the bestseller charts after the announcement and dominated sales at Waterstones for summer holiday reading.

Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2025 shortlist:

Confessions by Catherine Airey – a multigenerational family saga.

Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal – seven individuals are transformed when an ancient sacred river springs back to life in contemporary India.

Ordinary Saints by Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin – characters wrestle with questions of faith in present-day Ireland.

Sunstruck by William Rayfet Hunter – an aspiring musician is invited to spend the summer at a mansion in the south of France with a university friend.

When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén – translated from Swedish. An elderly man lives in a rural village in the north of Sweden with his dog, which his son insists must be taken away.

The Artist by Lucy Steeds – an aspiring journalist visits a renowned and reclusive artist living in Provence.

The shortlist represents a bright and promising future for fiction, said Bea Carvalho, head of books at Waterstones.

The winner will be announced on July 24.