India, Nov. 28 -- Good debut novels are exciting because they come with the promise of more from the writer. Michael Amherst's The Boyhood of Cain arrives with a whisper and then leave readers yearning for more. While it surprisingly does not read like a typical debut work, it still has all the charm of one.

Set in an English village, the novel follows prepubescent Daniel who attends a school where his father is the headmaster. An inquisitive child with tons of questions about family, religion and growing up, he wants to be liked. He wants to be seen as important but is simultaneously afraid to draw too much attention to himself. Being the headmaster's son sets him apart. But when his father has a fall and leaves his job, Daniel's life b...