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The Penguin Podcast: series 2 episode 3 – Debut books

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Reading lists

Debut novels of 2025: discover the year’s breakthrough new voices

William Rayfet Hunter

Sticky and pacy with an undercurrent of unease, you won't want to put it down

Sticky, twisting and dangerous: Sunstruck compels, unravelling the fraught strings that keep the elite class together and asking if an outsider can ever truly belong in their fold

Hunter's debut skilfully follows the journey of an aspiring Black musician drawn into a world of privilege and excess. Beautifully written and well-paced . . . builds tension as it approaches an exciting revelation

A stunning and tender debut. Sultry and compulsive. Full of heart

Poignant, tender, and wonderfully honest

Sunstruck is a book that is very hard to put down, full of lovable and equally hatable characters whose lives - much like the protagonists - are both displayed and withheld from the reader, perfectly mimicking the realities of how we relate to those around us, even those we believe are closest to us. A truly gripping story about power, privilege and perspective from a writer with a sharp pen and a wicked sense of humour whose incredible career is only just beginning

A smart, bracing, sexy novel about privilege and desire, full of indelible images and beautiful writing. Rayfet Hunter evokes the dream-like allure of power and the nightmare it soon becomes. I was completely gripped

Gorgeous and heartbreaking. I loved it

Jessica Stanley, author of Consider Yourself Kissed

A masterful debut, full of elegance, suspense, and wit. Sunstruck is a razor-sharp dissection of race, class and love

There’s plenty of plot; the novel’s brisk pacing, together with its shrewd blend of emotional sincerity, brooding intrigue and political overtones, make for a lively beach read

The book of the summer . . . a pacy page-turner and a timely piece of social commentary

AN OBSERVER BEST NEW NOVELIST 2025 
 
WINNER OF THE #MERKY BOOKS 2022 NEW WRITERS' PRIZE 
 
 
'This summer's hottest read' 
SUNDAY TIMES 
 
'You won't want to put it down' 
BRITISH VOGUE 
 
'Sticky, twisting and dangerous' 
REBECCA K REILLY 
 
It’s summer and a young man walks through the gates of a luxurious mansion in the South of France. At the dinner table, the Blake siblings await him: Lily, his carefree friend from university; Dot, the rebellious younger sister; and Felix – handsome, charismatic and guarded. 
 
Between sun-drenched days spent lounging by the pool and nights blurring into endless, opulent parties, the man is captivated by Felix’s restless allure. As his desire grows, the chance to become part of the family and their world of money and power starts to feel within reach. 
 
But the idyllic haze of summer fades as they return to London and the cracks in the Blakes' careful façade begin to show. With the two men tormented by demons of their own, their bond is increasingly tested and pulled apart at the seams. Their secrets and the choices they make will change not only their lives, but the future of those around them. 
 
Sunstruck is a dazzling and poignant exploration of race, status and the parts of ourselves we risk losing when we fall in love. 
 
'Beautifully written and well-paced . . . builds tension as it approaches an exciting revelation' 
JACQUELINE CROOKS 
 
'There’s plenty of plot; the novel’s brisk pacing, together with its shrewd blend of emotional sincerity, brooding intrigue and political overtones, make for a lively beach read' 
GUARDIAN 
 
'Very hard to put down . . . A truly gripping story about privilege and perspective from a writer with a sharp pen and a wicked sense of humour whose incredible career is only just beginning' 
ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS 
 
'Smart, bracing, sexy . . . I was completely gripped' 
JACK PARLETT 
 
‘A stunning and tender debut. Sultry and compulsive. Full of heart’ 
SOULA EMMANUEL 
 
'Poignant, tender, and wonderfully honest' 
CHLOE MICHELLE HOWARTH

William Rayfet Hunter

Praise for Sunstruck

This summer's hottest read

Sticky and pacy with an undercurrent of unease, you won't want to put it down

Rich and complex

This summer's hottest read

Sticky and pacy with an undercurrent of unease, you won't want to put it down

Rich and complex

This summer's hottest read

Sticky and pacy with an undercurrent of unease, you won't want to put it down

Rich and complex

Articles featuring William Rayfet Hunter

The Penguin Podcast: series 2 episode 3 – Debut books

Debut novels of 2025: discover the year’s breakthrough new voices

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