Lily Tuck Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

Lily Tuck is an American author of fiction. She was born in Paris, France in 1938. She spends her time in between New York City and the great state of Maine, although she has also lived in Peru and Uruguay as a child and Thailand as an adult. She states that living in other countries have allowed her a different perspective as a writer and also heightened her sense of rootlessness and dislocation, something that she thinks is reflected in her characters.

Lily Tuck has written novels as well as short fiction. Her short pieces have been featured in such publications as Fiction, the New Yorker, and the Antioch Review. She has written seven novels. The first novel is Interviewing Matisse and was published in 1991.

Lily Tuck has also had work published in collections such as Limbo and The House at Belle Fontaine. She has also written nonfiction work featured in Woman of Rome (2008).

Tuck is also the recipient of multiple awards for her innovative writing style and works. She was nominated for an award by PEN/Faulkner for Siam and was also the winner of a 2004 National Book Award.

Interviewing Matisse is Lily Tuck’s first book. The main characters involved in this story are named Inez, Molly, and Lily. They are women that belong to a certain class and were raised with a certain bearing. Molly calls Lily up one night from Connecticut late into the night to inform her that Inez is dead. And it’s not just something like a heart attack or getting hit by a bus– this was an intentional crime. Someone wanted to kill Inez, and to be honest, they did a pretty good job of carrying out their nefarious plan.

Not only that, but it seems to be something horrible and serious. Molly informs Lily that the corpse of their friend, nearly naked but with boots on, has been found propped in her loft. Her body is put straight upright in this otherwise cozy Soho apartment in a horrible act that looks a lot like murder because what else could it possibly be? The body is described as being propped upright just like a broom, and the two friends are shocked and in shock.

Instead of fully dealing with the passing of their good friend, the two will do anything that they can to avoid really facing the horrible truth. They have a conversation where they talk about just about everything except for Inez’s death. It’s better to just stay in a dream world where they can pretend like it never really happened. They evade the topic artfully and talk their heads off to divert themselves from facing this awful reality that their friend is dead– and someone likely killed her. On top of that, it may even be someone they know.

Filled with grief, the two friends must band together if they are going to survive the death of their friend, and the case is becoming even more well known. It all seems too much to bear, and unfortunately, their dear friend Inez has been on the receiving end of the worst of it. Pick up this gripping novel for yourself to see how the two friends fare in the wake of this horrible incident.

Lily Tuck’s second novel is titled The Woman Who Walked on Water. The main character in this novel is Adele. She lives a fairly comfortable life in the state of Connecticut where she has just about everything that she could want. However, Adele is called by the thrill of adventure and exotic travel to India, a far different place than the quiet alcoves of New England. She’s on a quest for meaning in her life, and Adele is going to find it.

However, Adele is not just going to India out of the blue. She met a guru in Chartres Cathedral, and she is going to another country to follow him and hopefully, find meaning in her life. Adele’s departure to this place is confusing to her family, friends, and neighbors. They don’t understand why a woman who appears to have everything is doing this.

Adele is not only lucky, she is beautiful and charismatic and graceful. She is a swimmer who has excelled at her sport and has been a fixture at the vacation resort in the Caribbean that she and her family go to every year. On top of all of this, she is married. Everyone else doesn’t understand why she is leaving, and her husband is no exception.

To him, it seems strange that his wife who is supposed to want to spend time at home with her family all of a sudden wants to drop everything in order to embrace her spiritual side under the guiding hand of some guru. It would be one thing if they didn’t have the responsibility, but they are married and have two children together! He just cannot wrap his head around it.

Her family may be right to be worried. Her husband thinks that this random Indian guru might be authentic, but he also seems elusive. Who knows if his mysticism is something genuine or he is simply a sham? But Adele does not seem to be flourishing as she is quickly seen to be losing weight. Her kids are worried because she looks not only gaunt but as though she has aged a lot in a short time.

When Adele’s letters become less frequent, there is a major cause for concern. Can any spirituality that causes you to look this deteriorated really be beneficial? Has Adele been led astray by some charlatan that should not be in charge of anyone’s life and spirituality?

With inspiration from the writings of Lao-tzu, Upanishads, and Rumi running through the work, this novel is a thrilling suspense novel that paints a disturbing picture of a woman stranded in a foreign country in the pursuit of enlightenment as well as a change in her everyday life. Be careful what you wish for in this chilling novel from author Lily Tuck. Check it out and see how Adele’s story ends for yourself.