Elles Tukker Books

This collection takes readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, exploring the experiences of soldiers before and after their return. Themes of brutality, faith, guilt, fear, helplessness, and survival permeate the narratives, as characters grapple with chaos. In the title story, a soldier who had to shoot dogs feeding on human corpses struggles to adjust to suburban life, surrounded by those unaware of his traumatic past. "After-Action Report" follows a Lance Corporal seeking redemption for a killing he didn't commit, hoping to relieve his best friend’s burden. A Mortuary Affairs Marine shares his harrowing experiences collecting the remains of both U.S. and Iraqi soldiers. A chaplain's faith is tested by the actions of a brutal Colonel, challenging his ability to provide solace. In the darkly comic "Money as a Weapons System," a young Foreign Service Officer absurdly attempts to teach Iraqis baseball as a means of improving their lives. These stories illuminate the monotony, bureaucracy, camaraderie, and violence that define a soldier’s life at war, as well as the isolation, remorse, and despair that can follow their return home. Klay starkly contrasts the extremes of a soldier's experience with the profound sense of loss that accompanies it.

From the award-winning, bestselling author of The Circle comes an exciting new follow-up. When the world's largest search engine/social media company, the Circle, merges with the planet's dominant ecommerce site, it creates the richest and most dangerous--and, oddly enough, most beloved--monopoly ever known: the Every.Delaney Wells is an unlikely new hire at the Every. A former forest ranger and unwavering tech skeptic, she charms her way into an entry-level job with one goal in mind: to take down the company from within. With her compatriot, the not-at-all-ambitious Wes Makazian, they look for the Every's weaknesses, hoping to free humanity from all-encompassing surveillance and the emoji-driven infantilization of the species. But does anyone want what Delaney is fighting to save? Does humanity truly want to be free?Studded with unforgettable characters, outrageous outfits, and lacerating set-pieces, this companion to The Circle blends absurdity and terror, satire and suspense, while keeping the reader in apprehensive excitement about the fate of the company--and the human animal.

"From the inimitable author of The Circlecomes a brilliant new black comedy about modern America. A mother and her two young children set out on a journey through the Alaskan wilderness. Travelling in a battered old RV (optimistically christened 'The Chateau'), the trip starts off like a vacation- they spot animals, build bonfires, enjoy the scenery. But though Josie drives ever deeper into the forest, she cannot outrun her memories of the events they are leaving behind, and the life she is trying to escape. Chased north by spreading wildfires, confronted at every turn by wildly eccentric locals, this tiny family must survive their surreal adventure at all costs. Because if they can, there is something clean and redemptive waiting for them - out at the very edge of civilization. A captivating and hilarious novel about family, loss and recovery, Heroes of the Frontieris a powerful examination of contemporary American life and a rousing story of adventure."