E.Y. Zhao Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

E.Y. Zhao

E.Y. Zhao is an American novelist whose debut, Underspin, arrived in 2025 and immediately marked her as a fresh voice in literary fiction. Her writing is grounded in the kind of observation that makes fictional people feel like someone you might know. She has a knack for getting inside her characters, showing their contradictions and quiet desires without ever forcing the point. There is a warmth to the way she writes about human beings, even when they are messy or unsure of themselves.

What makes Zhao’s work so readable is how naturally she builds a story around those characters. Her protagonists are not larger than life, but they are never dull. She lets them drive the narrative forward through small, believable choices that add up to something real. Readers find themselves invested not because the plot is loud, but because the people in it feel worth caring about. That is a hard thing to pull off, and Zhao does it with an ease that feels almost effortless.

There is something quietly magnetic about the way Zhao writes her characters that makes them linger in the mind long after the book is closed. They are the kind of people you might pass on the street without a second glance, yet inside their heads, entire worlds are unfolding. Zhao gives readers access to those inner lives with such care that you cannot help but feel for them, even when they are stumbling or making things harder than they need to be. That connection is what makes the reading experience feel personal, like the story is speaking directly to you.

At the same time, there is a gentle escape built into her fiction that should not be overlooked. The worlds she creates are familiar enough to feel real but just removed enough to offer a break from the everyday. Readers can step into the lives of her protagonists and forget their own worries for a while, not because the stories are fantastical, but because they are so fully realized. Zhao has a way of making the ordinary feel like somewhere you would rather be.

All of this comes from a place of deep honesty in her writing. Zhao is not chasing trends or trying to shape her voice into something she thinks the market wants. The stories she tells feel like they could only come from her, rooted in her own way of seeing the world and the people in it. There is no strain in the prose, no sense that she is forcing anything for effect. That authenticity gives the work a kind of quiet confidence that readers can feel, even if they cannot name it.

Looking ahead, Zhao is just getting started with her career as a novelist. Underspin was only the beginning, and there is a sense that she has many more stories waiting to be told. Readers who have connected with her work so far have plenty to look forward to in the years ahead. It feels like she is the kind of writer who will only grow more interesting with time.

Early and Personal Life

E.Y. Zhao grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where her early years took an unexpected shape. From the ages of nine to seventeen, she played professional table tennis, a pursuit that required focus and discipline at a young age. That experience gave her a particular way of seeing the world, one that would later find its way into her fiction.

Her path to becoming a writer was not a straight line. She went on to earn a BA in history from Harvard College, where reading and analyzing the past deepened her curiosity about human behavior. Later, she pursued an MFA from the University of Michigan, a place where she could fully commit to the craft of writing and begin shaping her voice.

Over time, Zhao found inspiration in the things she had lived through and the stories she had absorbed along the way. Her training as an athlete taught her about perseverance, while her studies gave her a foundation in understanding how people and societies work. All of it came together as she grew into the novelist she is today, someone who writes with clarity and heart.

Writing Career

Before her debut novel arrived, Zhao was already building a name for herself in literary circles. Her shorter work appeared in places like Electric Literature, The Georgia Review, and the Chicago Review of Books, each publication adding to her reputation as a writer to watch. Along the way, she picked up recognition from the Le Baron Russell Briggs Prize, the Georgia Review Prose Prize, and the Hopwood Awards, honors that signaled her talent was being noticed early.

Then came 2025, the year her first novel, Underspin, was published by Astra House. The book received warm attention from critics, with Publishers Weekly describing it as an illuminating story of dedication and sacrifice. Kirkus Reviews called it a smart novel that looks at how competitive sports affect kids without trying to declare winners or losers. It was a strong start for a novelist who is still just beginning, with more work undoubtedly on the way.

Underspin

E.Y. Zhao’s debut novel, Underspin, was released on September 23, 2025. The book was published by Astra House, marking the arrival of a new voice in contemporary literary fiction.

At age eight, Ryan Lo begins playing table tennis under Kristian, a gifted but tough coach who sees something special in the boy. Throughout his youth, Ryan builds intense friendships with teammates, falls for fellow player Anabel Yu, and racks up championship wins. By twentyone, he reaches the German Bundesliga, the highest level of the sport, just as everyone predicted he would. Then he walks away from competition entirely and dies before turning twentyfive, leaving others to wonder what happened.

This novel pulls you in from the first page and does not let go. The characters feel real enough to miss once the story ends. It is the kind of book you find yourself thinking about days after finishing it. Readers looking for something honest and moving will find it here.