In 2025, writers who’ve been notably absent are re-entering the conversation, each returning with a full-length work after almost a decade. Whether they’ve been silent by choice, by circumstance, or by slow, meticulous creation, these writers are back, and they’re bringing with them stories that stretch across generations, genres, and geographies.
Here are five authors making their long-awaited return this year
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Dream Count
After a 12-year hiatus since Americanah (2013), Adichie returns with Dream Count, a novel already being called one of the most anticipated of the decade. Set during the pandemic, the book weaves together the stories of four Nigerian women and explores themes of grief, memory, and survival with Adichie’s signature depth and lyricism. This marks her triumphant return to long-form fiction and reminds readers why she remains one of the most vital literary voices of our time.
Anita Desai – Rosarita
At 87, the Booker Prize-shortlisted author of Clear Light of Day and Fasting, Feasting makes a graceful return with Rosarita, her first book in 14 years. The novella, set between India and Mexico, follows a daughter unravelling her late mother's hidden life. Lush, elliptical, and haunting, Rosarita is a poignant reflection on memory, inheritance, and artistic solitude—classic Desai territory in the best way.
Kiran Desai – The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Nineteen years after her Booker-winning The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai is finally back with her long-anticipated third novel. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, releasing this fall, follows two young Indians navigating exile, modernity, and belonging across Brooklyn and Vermont. Desai’s immersive prose and sharp cultural insight are expected to once again blend the personal and political in profound ways.
Dan Brown – The Secret of Secrets
Eight years after Origin, Dan Brown revives his blockbuster Robert Langdon series with The Secret of Secrets. This time, the code-breaking symbologist is drawn into a mystery that unfolds across Prague, London, and New York. With history, science, and religion converging into yet another globe-spanning conspiracy, Brown’s return is set to dominate bestseller lists and reignite debates about fact and fiction in popular storytelling.
Thomas Pynchon – Shadow Ticket
The famously reclusive master of postmodern fiction returns with Shadow Ticket, his first novel since Bleeding Edge in 2013. Set during the Great Depression, the noir-inspired story follows a detective entangled with gangsters, fascists, and spies in 1930s Europe. Pynchon’s blend of paranoia, historical detail, and absurdism promises a layered narrative that will thrill longtime fans and challenge new readers alike.
Words Harita Odedara
3.06.2025