I’m kicking off a 2026 preview with two of the most exciting emerging voices publishing books this January. I speak to them about how they wrote their novels, before asking which books inspired them along the way, and what their books and book selections say about the world today. If you’re looking for your next great reads of 2026, look no further — Rippling Pages has you covered. We’re going from Pakistan to a rural boarding school in 1970s London. In Pakistan, a young woman grapples with a strange, indefinable illness against a backdrop of political upheaval. In England, a teenager tries to make sense of his intense emotions during one hot summer at boarding school. Farah Ali’s TELEGRAPHY, published by CB Editions, is her second novel. Originally from Pakistan, Farah has been anthologised for the Pushcart Prize and is the reviews editor at Wasafiri. JEAN is the debut novel by London-based writer Madeleine Dunnigan, published by Daunt Books. She was a Jill Davis Fellow on the MFA programme at New York University. Support the Rippling Pages on a new Patreon with exclusive crafted subscriber benefits.  https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages    Reference Points Mathias Énard – The Annual Banquet of the Gravedigger's Guild  Rachel Kushner – The Flamethrowers John McGahern – That They May Face the Rising Sun Gerald Murnane – The Plains Tom McCarthy – Remainder   Chapters 3.15 – illness and narrative voice 5.25 – feeling ill writing the book 10.15 – Madeleine's on Farah's narrator 12.30 – Madeleine's book 16.10 –  different kinds of love. 18.40 – Rippling Pages patreon 19.55 – a queer  story in the boarding school 21.50 – different kinds of intimacy 23.40 – precociousness 28.10 – bodies, illness and healing  33.00 – what these books say about the world.  38.00 – Dealing with fracture 40.50 – rippling pages bookshop 41.20 – Madeleine recommends 45.15 – Farah recommends.