There is much to be said of the woman who writes her very first book over the age of 40 and beyond. She brings to her storytelling a wealth of life experience that cannot be imitated by those of younger years. As an avid reader, a recent glance at a release list of novels for the year felt vaguely depressing to me – there is much more to experience, surely, than the tomes of the twenty-something writer said to be the next Sally Rooney? (The now highly overused tag line sold as the USP on many a debut novel).

There’s a unique richness to the novel by those past their millennial years that should be praised more often and more openly; so much wisdom to be gleaned from those words. Though it was not her debut, Bernadine Evaristo at the glorious age of 62, won the acclaimed 2019 Booker Prize (jointly with Margaret Atwood) for her enthralling Girl, Woman, Other. So, below is a selection of my favourite debut novels written by authors in their midlife worth reading next.

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine

Eleanor Oliphant’s story began for Gail Honeyman after she read a newspaper article about loneliness years earlier. Oliphant’s life is one shrouded in limited human contact - something she’s fine with until she’s forced to admit, that she isn’t really. As her 40th birthday approached, Honeyman took a “now or never” decision to try her pipe dream of being a writer. This jump resulted in a debut that sold in 30 countries. It won critics over, (and plenty of awards too) with its film rights snapped up by Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon. It is, quite simply, a joy to read. Not bad for a pipe dream.

Buy it here.

Yes

Set in the fictional town of Derryconnor, somewhere in Co. Antrim where author Anne Patterson grew up, Yes tells the story of Maureen O’Connor who suffers a stroke at 52. Rendered mute, she is forced to reflect and re-adapt to a life over which she has little control. The medical fragments are vividly authentic (no doubt thanks to Patterson's career as a nurse; she wrote in between shifts) but it's a story far from clinical; it’s written with an insightful sensitivity. Shortlisted for the 2018 McKetterick Prize - an award given to an author over 40 for a first novel - it’s a heart-warmer in the best sense of the word.

Buy it here.

Life Drawing

US author Robin Black’s 2014 debut novel Life Drawing was published at the tender age of 52, just four years after her collection of short stories was released to much critical acclaim. Black was looking for an outlet for her creativity while on a “twenty-something career-break” raising her family as a stay-at-home mum until in 2001 she started writing “and never stopped.” The resulting book, a compelling look at the voices we hear (and don’t hear) during a marriage and a painful betrayal is an atmospheric and brilliant page-turner.

Buy it here.

The Secret Life of Bees

Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees was published at 54, and though she published three memoirs prior to it, I’m cheating a little and including it here as it was her first published work of fiction – and remains a favourite of mine to this day. Set during the 1964 Civil Rights Movement, it tells the story of a young white girl who runs away from home with her black maid. They find refuge with three black sisters who raise bees. As all these lives unfold and intertwine, the racial conflicts in a segregated town and family secrets intertwine amongst coming-of-age and self-acceptance. It’s a beautiful novel.

Buy it here.

My name is leon

Kit de Waal worked in criminal and family law for over 12 years before becoming a writer. This award-winning novel came out when she was 56. Leon is a nine-year-old mixed-race boy who, during the 1980s UK race riots, gets put into the foster care system. It’s told with compassion though; his mother Carol is unable to help herself, let alone the two sons she clearly loves. And through the child narrator’s captivating voice we see the highs and lows of his world, written with deft care and skill by de Waal. It will soon be adapted into a film by the BBC, but the book is a must-read first.

Buy it here.

Jennifer McShane, January 2021