Exit Zero: Stories
Dense, but not heavy ... Bertino is a very funny writer ... Verge[s] on precious, but the prose is photorealistic enough to neutralize the taste of sugar ... When a short story works, it can wield truly occult powers, exerting a force disproportionate to its dimensions. Through all of Exit Zero Bertino blurs the line between writer and magician ... Dazzling ... Few writers can revolve your mind in the space of four words. Bertino is one of them.
Read Full Review >>
A master class in book structure. At its core are the small, quirky details we all either pick up or drop in the course of a day, rising to the struggles between and within ourselves that we depend on to stay vital ... Within these stories is a deep understanding that the things we do to stave off the madness of life ... Has a spontaneous and intense energy ... Nothing is clear, and yet the ending feels, somehow, right—rather than handing itself off easily.
Read Full Review >>
In Exit Zero, a collection of stories of both strange and magical, Marie-Helene Bertino mostly sidesteps these perils with a light touch and jaunty American style ... The sheer range of invention, perspective, and style on display in this collection makes it a complete and satisfying whole, full of distinct characters and vivid atmospheres that linger in the mind.
Read Full Review >>
