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Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
For fans of Celeste Ng and Dani Shapiro, this lyrical debut set in twentieth-century Northern California offers a multigenerational braided narrative examining the rippling effects of trauma and perceived fault after a loved one’s suicide.
1953. WWII veteran Charles Hawkins sweet-talks his daughter, Lyla, into climbing the family’s oak tree and hanging the rope for their tire swing. Eager, Lyla crawls along the branch and ties off a bowline, following her father’s careful instructions, becoming elated when he playfully tests the rope and declares the knot to be “strong enough to hold the weight of a grown man. Easy.”
But when her father walks out back one November night and hangs himself from the rope, Lyla becomes haunted by the belief that his death is her fault, a torment amplified by her grief-stricken mother, who sneaks up to the attic and finds comfort in the arms of her dead husband’s sweaters, and a formidable grandmother, who seemingly punishes Lyla by locking her outside, leaving her to stare down the enormous tree rooted at the epicenter of her family’s loss.
Set among the fault-prone landscape of Northern California, The Pale Flesh of Wood is told by three generations of the Hawkins family. Each narrative explores the effects of trauma after the ground shifts beneath their feet and how they must come to terms with their own sense of guilt in order to forgive and carry on.
1953. WWII veteran Charles Hawkins sweet-talks his daughter, Lyla, into climbing the family’s oak tree and hanging the rope for their tire swing. Eager, Lyla crawls along the branch and ties off a bowline, following her father’s careful instructions, becoming elated when he playfully tests the rope and declares the knot to be “strong enough to hold the weight of a grown man. Easy.”
But when her father walks out back one November night and hangs himself from the rope, Lyla becomes haunted by the belief that his death is her fault, a torment amplified by her grief-stricken mother, who sneaks up to the attic and finds comfort in the arms of her dead husband’s sweaters, and a formidable grandmother, who seemingly punishes Lyla by locking her outside, leaving her to stare down the enormous tree rooted at the epicenter of her family’s loss.
Set among the fault-prone landscape of Northern California, The Pale Flesh of Wood is told by three generations of the Hawkins family. Each narrative explores the effects of trauma after the ground shifts beneath their feet and how they must come to terms with their own sense of guilt in order to forgive and carry on.
Product Details
- Publisher: She Writes Press (March 19, 2025)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9781647428341
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Raves and Reviews
“A poignant exploration of generational trauma and healing.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Tucker writes with incisive depth, exuding a palpable rawness . . .”—BookLife Reviews
“The Pale Flesh of Wood is a nuanced literary novel about a family’s intricate struggles with their legacies.”—Foreword Clarion Review
“A beautifully written kaleidoscopic novel that explores the roots of depression, the long shadow of grief, and the healing power of time.”—Stephanie Reents, author of The Kissing List
"It is no exaggeration to say I made friends with many of the richly drawn characters in this novel, which is both lyrical and precise in its choices, and quintessentially Californian. Three generations of Hawkins-folk, charismatic, troubled, tenacious, straight-backed, not unlike the oak at the center of the story—they got under my skin in the best possible ways and remain there. The Pale Flesh of Wood is a well-wrought, complex and deeply satisfying debut."—Pam Houston, author of Deep Creek, Finding Hope In The High Country
"Tucker has my favorite kind of gift on the page: she creates real deal intimacy between her characters and her audience. This is a family saga that showcases so many different people, and yet I knew and loved them all."—Joshua Mohr, author of Model Citizen
“The Pale Flesh of Wood is epic and intimate all at once, both sweeping and deep. As its title suggests, this novel sees beneath the surface of things, taps the lifeblood pulsing inside families and communities and the natural world. Elizabeth A. Tucker has crafted a masterpiece—I can't wait to see what this gifted author will write next!”—Gayle Brandeis, author of Drawing Breath: Essays on Writing, the Body, and Loss
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