Publisher Review

“I flew through Woodworking, cheering for Abigail and Erica and their against-the-odds friendship all the way. Only Emily St. James could write a book so 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

“One of the most heartfelt, funny, and moving portraits of transition I’ve ever come across. Illustrating the very simple truth that we never stop growing up, Erica and Abigail’s friendship is as real as it comes. We can all only hope for a sisterhood like theirs.” -Imogen Binnie, author of Nevada

“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 Times bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is

“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

“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

“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