I find this a frustrating category; it's been difficult to find first books without having a specific author in mind, and often the first book turns out to be one that isn't anything special.
Going against the trend, I'm nominating a thoroughly American book by an American author:
The Road Through the Wall (1948) by Shirley Jackson.
Quote:
The compelling novel that began Shirley Jackson's legendary career
Pepper Street is a really nice, safe California neighborhood. The houses are tidy and the lawns are neatly mowed. Of course, the country club is close by, and lots of pleasant folks live there. The only problem is they knocked down the wall at the end of the street to make way for a road to a new housing development. Now, that’s not good—it’s just not good at all. Satirically exploring what happens when a smug suburban neighborhood is breached by awful, unavoidable truths, The Road Through the Wall is the tale that launched Shirley Jackson’s heralded career.
|
Quote:
|
In Pepper Street, an attractive suburban neighbourhood filled with bullies and egotistical bigots, the feelings of the inhabitants are shallow and selfish: what can a neighbour gain from another neighbour, what may be won from a friend? One child stands alone in her goodness: little Caroline Desmond, kind, sweet and gentle, and the pride of her family. But the malice and self-absorption of the people of Pepper Street lead to a terrible event that will destroy the community of which they are so proud. Exposing the murderous cruelty of children, and the blindness and selfishness of adults, Shirley Jackson reveals the ugly truth behind a 'perfect' world.
|
Amazon US, $11.99
Kobo US, $11.99
Kobo Canada, CDN $13.99
Kobo Australia, AU $14.99
Kobo New Zealand, NZ $20.34
Kobo UK, £2.99
Can be borrowed through Overdrive. No audiobook.