"In small-town South Dakota, newly divorced Erica, a closeted trans teacher, forms an unlikely bond with Abigail, a bold trans student navigating senior year, as their friendship withstands community scrutiny as it shapes their journeys toward self-acceptance and authenticity"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

In small-town South Dakota, newly divorced Erica, a closeted trans teacher, forms an unlikely bond with Abigail, a bold trans student navigating senior year, as their friendship withstands community scrutiny as it shapes their journeys toward self-acceptance and authenticity. - (Baker & Taylor)

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE 2025

“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

“Writing a funny book is hard. Writing a convincing takedown of one of America’s most popular prejudices is harder still. Writing a funny novel in which complex, imperfect characters make a compelling case for one of our culture’s most maligned groups—that takes smarts and heart. Fortunately for her readers, St. James is in full possession of both.” —Meredith Maran, Washington Post

One of Vox's Best Books of the Year • One of Book Riot’s and The Mary Sue’s 15 Most Anticipated Queer Books of 2025 • One of The Millions’, Kirkus’s, The AV Club’s, Them’s, LGBTQ Reads and NBC's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 • One of Vol. 1 Brooklyn’s, Autostraddle’s, LA Times’s, and BookBrowse’s Most Anticipated Reads of March 2025 • One of Bustle’s Best Books of Spring 2025 • Matty Maggiacomo’s March Book Club Pick

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.

“A testament to the power of intergenerational trans stories . . . dazzling.” —VOGUE - (Perseus Publishing)

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE 2025

“Writing a funny book is hard. Writing a convincing takedown of one of America’s most popular prejudices is harder still. Writing a funny novel in which complex, imperfect characters make a compelling case for one of our culture’s most maligned groups—that takes smarts and heart. Fortunately for her readers, St. James is in full possession of both.” —Meredith Maran, Washington Post

One of Vox's and Chicago Public Library's Best Books of the Year • One of Book Riot’s and The Mary Sue’s 15 Most Anticipated Queer Books of 2025 • One of The Millions’, Kirkus’s, The AV Club’s, Them’s, LGBTQ Reads and NBC's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 • One of Vol. 1 Brooklyn’s, Autostraddle’s, LA Times’s, and BookBrowse’s Most Anticipated Reads of March 2025 • One of Bustle’s Best Books of Spring 2025 • Matty Maggiacomo’s March Book Club Pick

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.

“A testament to the power of intergenerational trans stories . . . dazzling.” —VOGUE

“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 - (Random House, Inc.)

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* In small town South Dakota, teenage Abigail becomes a reluctant trans mother to her high-school teacher Erica. This debut novel features the two trans protagonists, while several more major and minor trans characters populate the pages. The novel's central reckoning is with the co-existing pains and joys of trans experience, both before and after transitioning, and within a community or when someone has "disappeared into the woodwork" in order to transition. As St. James gorgeously writes, "To disappear into the woodwork in the name of safety is still to disappear." In the text, Erica's deadname is obscured and unreadable because it "had come to sound like it was enveloped in fog," an exceptionally creative way to incorporate the dissonant experience. Abigail wavers between feeling connected to and irritated by Erica. "I'm tired of adults thinking I'm their trans identity receptacle," she says. St. James excels at crafting gloriously complex scenes that replicate the messy lives of all people. In one, a trans woman attends the ultrasound of her ex-wife's pregnancy with a cisman while the doctor calls her "Dad" and genders the fetus. St. James' novel is the trans-and-life-affirming story readers need. Copyright 2025 Booklist Reviews.

Library Journal Reviews

St. James debuts with a story about Erica, a trans high school teacher who is 35 years old and lives in a small South Dakota town. One of her students, 17-year-old Abigail, is the only other trans person she knows. Their unlikely friendship powers the novel and both characters forward. Prepub Alert. Copyright 2024 Library Journal