Woodworking

Emily St. James

$49.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

Zando
01 July 2025

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945); Fiction: special features

'Big-hearted and hilarious, an ode to authenticity and a must-read in our current times.'

Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

An unforgettable and heartwarming book-club debut following a trans high school teacher from a small town in South Dakota who befriends the only other trans woman she knows: one of her students.

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, it comes under the scrutiny of their community. And soon, both women

and those closest to them

are forced to ask: Who are we if we choose to hide ourselves? What happens once we disappear into the woodwork?

Detransition Baby meets Fleishman is in Trouble in this remarkable debut novel from an incisive contemporary voice. A story about the awkwardness of growing up and the greatest love story of all, that between us and our friends, Woodworking is a tonic for the moment and a celebration of womanhood in all its multifaceted joy.

By: Emily St. James
Imprint: Zando
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781638931478
ISBN 10: 163893147X
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 01 July 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Emily St. James is a writer and cultural critic. This is her first novel. Her journalism and criticism have appeared in The New York Times, Vox, and The A.V. Club, and her writing for television has been featured on the Emmy-nominated series Yellowjackets. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Reviews for Woodworking

"""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"