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serendipitysbooks 's review for:
Woodworking
by Emily St. James
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A really fantastic debut about trans women, written by a trans woman. Erica is a 35 year old newly divorced English teacher known to her students as Mr Skyler. She's long known she's a woman but has kept that knowledge to herself. She's now feeling the need to publicly acknowledge who she truly is but isn't sure where or how to start. Small town South Dakota doesn't offer a lot of role models. Then 17 year old Abigail arrives at her school. Abigail is unapologetically, proudly, defiantly trans. An unlikely and arguably inappropriate friendship develops between the two, and Abigail helps guide Erica on her trans journey.
Abigail was a fabulous character - snarky, take no bs, not afraid to stand up to authority figures and call out hypocrisy. But behind this tough outer shell there was a softer centre, a girl who was hurting at some of the treatment she had received. I liked the fact that this focussed on the coming out of an older character since it seems that is more typically dealt with in YA novels. Erica's journey felt realistic to me. She knew she was a woman, was uncertain what that meant for her ( but afraid of what it could cost her) and how she wanted to present, but was also determined that she would make those decisions on her terms and her timeline. I appreciated the range of experiences that the 3 main trans women (yes, a third charcter identifies herself as trans well into the novel, someone who had disappeared into the woodwork for years - I'm not going to give away spoilers) allowed the author to showcase. I was really impressed by the way St James used perspective and point of view and what that told the reader about the characters. Very intelligent writing. The story was set against the backdrop of the 2016 election, and called out ill-informed, transphobic bullying behaviour of certain politicians who tried to stir up mass hysteria through things like bathroom bills, as well as the efforts of those trying to counter and stop the hateful narrative. Sadly, things are now worse, not better. This book didn't shy away from hard things - Abigail's visceral reaction to being dead named was powerfully done. But it's not a dark book. The dark moments are balanced by those that are tender and funny and warm. One of my adding memories will be of a community, not always perfect, of trans women, their friends and allies (Constance, Bernadette, Melanie...), doing their best to support each other. Overall I found it surprisingly hopeful, even feel-good, but not in an unrealistic, artificial or saccharine way. Just real women finding satisfaction and happiness in finding their way in life.
Abigail was a fabulous character - snarky, take no bs, not afraid to stand up to authority figures and call out hypocrisy. But behind this tough outer shell there was a softer centre, a girl who was hurting at some of the treatment she had received. I liked the fact that this focussed on the coming out of an older character since it seems that is more typically dealt with in YA novels. Erica's journey felt realistic to me. She knew she was a woman, was uncertain what that meant for her ( but afraid of what it could cost her) and how she wanted to present, but was also determined that she would make those decisions on her terms and her timeline. I appreciated the range of experiences that the 3 main trans women (yes, a third charcter identifies herself as trans well into the novel, someone who had disappeared into the woodwork for years - I'm not going to give away spoilers) allowed the author to showcase. I was really impressed by the way St James used perspective and point of view and what that told the reader about the characters. Very intelligent writing. The story was set against the backdrop of the 2016 election, and called out ill-informed, transphobic bullying behaviour of certain politicians who tried to stir up mass hysteria through things like bathroom bills, as well as the efforts of those trying to counter and stop the hateful narrative. Sadly, things are now worse, not better. This book didn't shy away from hard things - Abigail's visceral reaction to being dead named was powerfully done. But it's not a dark book. The dark moments are balanced by those that are tender and funny and warm. One of my adding memories will be of a community, not always perfect, of trans women, their friends and allies (Constance, Bernadette, Melanie...), doing their best to support each other. Overall I found it surprisingly hopeful, even feel-good, but not in an unrealistic, artificial or saccharine way. Just real women finding satisfaction and happiness in finding their way in life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Transphobia