Elizabeth Stuckey-French

Elizabeth Stuckey-French writes fiction marked by dark comedy, domestic tension, and compassion for complicated families. The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady follows Marylou Ahearn, a retired teacher who seeks out the doctor responsible for giving her a radioactive substance during a secret 1950s experiment. Her plan for revenge changes as she becomes entangled with the doctor's troubled family in Tallahassee. First issued by Doubleday in 2011, it uses an unusual comic voice to explore medical ethics, memory, anger, and forgiveness. Stuckey-French drew inspiration from documented Cold War radiation experiments, but shaped the material as a character-driven work of literary fiction. She is also the author of Mermaids on the Moon and the story collection The First Paper Girl in Red Oak, Iowa, and has taught fiction writing at Florida State University. Her work is noted for balancing unsettling subjects with warmth and sharply observed domestic detail.