The Pale Flesh of Wood

“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

Elizabeth A. Tucker is a fiction writer, poet, playwright, and sixth-generation Californian. Her work can be found in a host of literary journals, including Transfer Magazine, Red River Review, Aroostook Review, Ponder Review, The Bangalore Review, SNReview, and JuxtaProse Magazine. She is a two-time finalist for Glimmer Train’s Short Story Award for New Writers, a finalist for the 2020 Craft Elements Fiction Contest, and a finalist for the 2020 Barry Lopez Prize in nonfiction. She lives and writes at 6,600 feet above sea level in the Sierra Nevada with her husband and two children.

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