Description: Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced, and trans. Not that she's told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn't exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit. Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High's resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It's a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She's also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty--and loneliness--that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn't the only one struggling to shed the weight of others' expectations. As their unlikely friendship evolves under the increasing scrutiny of their community, both women, and those closest to them, will come to realize that sometimes there is nothing more radical than letting the world see who you really are.
Review Quotes: LONGLIST THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE TRANSGENDER FICTION LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD
FINALIST FOR THE PUBLISHING TRIANGLE'S EDMUND WHITE AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION
"Woodworking is a wonder of unexpected characters in complex relationships in a more-than-meets-the-eye small town in an unusual coming-of-age story--several actually--all of which would be great enough, but it also manages to celebrate trans lives without pandering or overgeneralizing, to offer hope without minimizing or sugar-coating, and to tell a story whose pages you can't stop turning. Emily St. James's debut is complicated in the best ways and straightforward in the best ways too, empowering, important, and even heartwarming in its insistence on that which is true for all of us, in spite as well as because of our differences." --Laurie Frankel, New York Timesbestselling author of This Is How It Always Is "St. James excels at crafting gloriously complex scenes that replicate the messy lives of all people . . . the trans-and-life- affirming story readers need."--Booklist (starred review) "Emily St. James is one of our most cherished writers whose work carries the kind of compassion, humanity, and braver world-building we need now more than ever." --Amber Tamblyn, author of Listening in the Dark: Women Reclaiming the Power of Intuition "With propulsive wit and unshakeable honesty, St. James debuts a novel unquestionably deserving of its place in the transfeminine literary canon." --PEN America "One of the funniest and most humane novels of the year . . . St. James integrates questions of identity, red-state politics, school culture, romance and belonging with heart and heft." --Columbia Tribune "Woodworking is a moving and big-hearted novel about people finding community as they find themselves--a reminder that coming of age can happen at any age. I loved these characters and the connections they formed. This is a tender, funny, page-turning story about trans women finding their way, in a world that needs all the softness and humor it can get." --Lydia Kiesling, bestselling author of Mobility "Delightful and sharply told . . . a sensitive but full-hearted portrayal of a community just trying to live freely and honestly . . . a literary debut that deserves to reach as wide an audience as possible." --Paste magazine "A new milestone in trans letters, Woodworking proves Emily St. James can craft stories just as brilliant as the ones she has written so beautifully about for over a decade. Sparkling, intimate, and life-affirming, this debut novel lands with all the quiet force of a secret spoken in a parked car. Not to be missed." --Samantha Allen, author of Real Queer America and Patricia Wants to Cuddle "With undeniable wit and a wealth of empathy, St. James tells a story about not only finding oneself, but what comes next." --Electric Lit "Heartfelt and winning." --Autostraddle (A Best Book of the Year) "A plucky little must-read." --The Lesbrary "A staggering debut that sinks its teeth into character-driven moments, allowing readers to exercise their compassion. Humorous and expressive, joyful and honest, it's refreshingly heartfelt and vital." --In Between Drafts "A brilliant, heartwarming story." --Gabrielle Bondi, Bustle "Full of heart and humor." --Cosmopolitan "A delight . . . Emily's prose is masterfully mimetic and deeply grounded . . . Woodworking has a big heart, and an incredibly important point to make." --The Transfeminine Review "A compassionate, nuanced exploration of identity and connection that transcends mere representation to achieve genuine literary excellence." --The Bookish Elf "This story of a trans woman coming out in small town South Dakota in 2016 isn't just earnest and moving, but surprisingly funny and joyful--all without pulling any punches about the struggle to be yourself in a world that may not want you to be." --Crooked Media Reads