REVIEWS OF WORK TO DO
Kirkus Review - “A workplace novel crossed with a soap opera, offering plenty of food for thought. (Organic and locally sourced, of course.)”
Bay Area Reporter - “…“the novel emerges as a whirlwind of jealousy, passion, errors in judgment, and strained friendship in various states of disrepair. The author is masterful at juggling all these storylines as they present Austin as a character itself in all its bohemian, hipster, eclectic glory.”
Second Adolescence, Caio Major - “The novel portrays the conflict between the higher-ups in a barely-profitable small business and its low-paid workforce with great care, showing us each side of the conflict in measured detail.”
PRAISE FOR WORK TO DO
“Jules Wernersbach has crafted something beautiful with Work to Do. It is a gorgeous, deeply tender first novel that catalogs the fits and starts, the mess, and all of the joy that comprises the human condition. A book about trying, failing, and then trying again; I found myself instantly smitten with the characters. A true pleasure.”—Kristen Arnett, author, Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One
“An illuminating, funny, important book about crucial questions with no easy answers, Wernersbach’s debut explores unionization, wealth disparity, and accountability in capitalism. Starring a lively group of queers . . . Work to Do is a propulsive joy to read—I loved it.”—Lydi Conklin, author, Songs of No Provenance
“Zippy, fresh, propulsive, and tender, this is a gorgeous book about the unexpected shapes that life makes and what happens when we make the old ones new again. The best story about a co-op grocery store since that episode of Broad City.”—Emma Copley Eisenberg, author, Housemates
“This parable of the Guadalupe Street Co-op is one of the best political novels I’ve read in years. Holding back judgment, the novel lets these characters, with their messy pasts, self-concepts, and the financial conditions that bind them, play out with empathy and urgency against summer storms and mesquite-smoked charms.”—Jeanne Thornton, author, A/S/L
“Jules Wernersbach’s Work to Do captures the complicated and absurd frustrations of making something that matters. Centering on one hectic week at a co-op in Austin, the novel moves through the store’s small crew of employees as they attempt to repair the ruptures—both financial and emotional—that threaten to put the co-op out of business. This funny, heartfelt novel asks how anyone might live authentically in a world that tries to turn everything into a profit. Wernersbach’s debut is a community unto itself.”—Isle McElroy, author, People Collide
AUTHOR PHOTOS
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