The shortlist for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2026 has been revealed, featuring a novel described as "raw, visceral and beautiful" that spans nearly a century of Korean history and the profound impact of colonialism.
Among the contenders is Jiyoung Han’s Honey In The Wound, a powerful narrative tracing a gifted lineage of Korean women displaced across Asia by Japanese imperialism. The book explores how colonialism forces a family to transform in order to survive over 90 years.
Han’s novel centres on Young-Ja, a girl whose family is tragically killed by Japanese soldiers, leading her into a network of spies as she learns to persevere against the brutality of the Imperial Army. Waterstones reviewers have lauded the work as "devastating yet profoundly tender" and a "beautiful blend of magical realism and shocking historical events."
Also vying for the prestigious award is Stephanie Sy-Quia’s A Private Man, hailed by Waterstones as "beautifully told" and "strikingly atmospheric." This "ingenious" novel transports readers to 1950s Rome, unfolding a forbidden romance between a devoted priest and a woman, an affair with far-reaching generational consequences.
The six-book shortlist is completed by Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash, Under Water by Tara Menon, May We Feed The King by Rebecca Perry, and The Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski. The prize aims to "inspire new voices, helping to create bestsellers and establish enduring careers for debut authors," with the winner chosen by a panel of Waterstones staff.
Previous recipients of the award, open to fiction across all genres, include Ferdia Lennon’s Glorious Exploits in 2024 and Tess Gunty’s The Rabbit Hutch, which secured the inaugural prize in 2022. Last year, Lucy Steeds won for The Artist, going on to claim the coveted Waterstones Book Of The Year prize in 2025.
Bea Carvalho, Waterstones’ head of books, expressed pride in the selection, stating it signals "an exceptionally bright future for fiction." She added: "This is a shortlist which showcases writing of tremendous energy, poetic precision, and spry humour, balancing nostalgia with innovation to stunning effect. It features genuinely vital global history and profound questions on the weight of faith and grief, while considering ecological change and the destruction of dynasties and legacies."
Carvalho concluded by highlighting the "pure magic and electricity in these pages" from "six bold and confident authors."
The winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2026 will be announced on July 16.
