In a series of short stories, Marie-Helene Bertino takes us on a tour of strange happenings. This was my first Bertino, but I’ve heard a lot about her and her particular style. For the first few stories I felt unsure of what I was supposed to be getting out of them. However, after Exit Zero (ironically), something clicked and I was able to let the oddities simply be in some cases delightfully bizarre, and in others unsettling. I particularly enjoyed the feeling that each story felt like our world, but with a bit of a glitch in the matrix. I’m someone who typically avoids heavy themes, but Bertino is an expert in applying them in a way that didn’t feel like it was weighing the narrative down, but instead lending depth and humanity.

My favorites, in order:
The Night Gardener
In the Basement of St. John the Divine
Flowers and their Meanings
Viola in Midwinter

I listened to this on audio and enjoyed the narrator and the variation she was able to apply to the characters’ voices!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Like almost every short story collection, some of these were 5 star stories and others were, well, not, so the average here comes out to a 4 for me. (Jasmine, I love you. Cher, sadly, not so much.)

Part of what really worked for me in these magically realistic tales was the mundane specificity of the Mid-Atlantic. I don't think I've ever seen Shop 'n Save referenced this much in fiction. I'm not sure, though, how much that anchored anyone who exists outside the NY/NJ/PA triangle. And were the people from St. Louis just confused? Apparently, they have their own Shop 'n Save that underwent parallel evolution? And there's one in New England with an apostrophe on either side? Did those folks think Bertino messed up in her Catskills story (which feels like the only locale where the two may overlap)?

Like a lot of my books, I listened to this one, and while I adore Adenrele Ojo, her casting here, coupled with the many mentions of Shop 'n Save, made me think the characters were having a more intersectionally fraught working class struggle than I think Bertino imagined for them. I want Ojo to get all of the work she can find, but I had to refocus myself when I learned Bertino was from one of the whiter parts of Philly.

ARC supplied by Netgalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the Audio ARC!

The stories in Exit Zero are unique, quirky, and eclectic. I found them to be very entertaining and highly readable, with common themes that stir the imagination. Very well done.

Exit Zero is an incredible set of short stories from the incomparable Marie-Helene Bertino. I listened to this as an audiobook and the narration from Adenrele Ojo really adds to the entire experience. Pick this collection up if you want answers to questions such as: How do you deal with taking care of the unicorn your dad leaves you after he dies? What if balloons started coming to you while you night gardened and brought you messages? How do you get yourself out of a time loop that is actually Cheers episodes after stealing from your mom?

Thank you very much to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I absolutely loved @marie.helenebertino 's BEAUTYLAND, so when I saw she had a short story collection out, I was thrilled!
𝑬𝑿𝑰𝑻 𝒁𝑬𝑹𝑶 𝒃𝒚 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒆-𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒐 by @dreamscape_media (Out Today!) is on par with what I was expecting and this made me so happy. These are rather absurd stories that have a melancholic tone, but still feel delightful. I was fascinated by the less-tidy unicorn, the haunted peach, the loop of a Cheers episode (maybe my favorite), balloon messages, a tiger in a dressing room, and so much more. The audio was narrated sublimely by Adenrele Ojo and a great format to choose. Once again, I am invited to see pieces of humanity through an outside lense that leaves me grateful. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I loved Bertino’s debut, BEAUTYLAND, last year, so it only felt right that I request her latest! This collection of stories is all the things I’d hoped it would be from this author: fun, surreal, and unique. Her writing is truly beautiful, her voice very much her own. There are a few standouts in the collection (namely the title story and the final one), but many of them are a bit forgettable, despite their strangeness. Stylistically, they are also very similar, without much variation between them. It can also be difficult to pinpoint what is happening at times. But when Bertino hits, she hits; many of these stories are poignant and satisfying, and made my own creative wheels turn. Three and a half stars.

Summaries below:

- “Marry the Sea”: A bunch of beautiful imagery. Gorgeous writing. No linear plot, and I’m not sure what any of it means.
- “Edna in Rain”: A woman meets with all of her exes as they begin falling from the sky.
- “Exit Zero”: A woman’s estranged father dies, and she is summoned to his house in New Jersey to deal with his “delicate items.” Love a good South Jersey story!
- “Can Only Houses Be Haunted?”: After coming home from a trip, a couple finds a dead girl in their house.
- “Lottie Woodside and the Diamond Dust Share”: After getting in a car accident, Lottie discovers a painting.
- “The Ecstasy of Sam Malone”: A girl has a dream that she is in an episode of Cheers from which she can’t wake up.
- “The Night Gardener”: A gardener begins receiving balloons with messages on them from a mysterious source.
- “Kathleen in Light Colors”: A woman and her lover cannot physically touch one another because there is a presence between them.
- “Every Forest, Every Film”: A film critic goes to see a show.
- “In the Basement of Saint John the Divine”: A previously blind boy and his father attend a medieval camp.
- “Flowers and Their Meanings”: A tiger is loose in a town as a woman’s mother fails.
- “Viola in Mid-Winter”: A vampire falls in love and chronicles her life.

I struggled to get into this one. We have a series of short stories that are somehow spectacular and/or horrific. Mostly they drifted past my ears without striking a cord. One that caught my attention had to do with unicorn people. Yup. Or at least a person who thought they were a unicorn.

As per usual, the narration was excellent.

Beautyland was my favorite read of 2024, and I was just thrilled to see more from Marie-Helene Bertino.

There's a lot in Exit Zero that will be familiar to fans of Beautyland. This collection has Bertino's signature nostalgic ambience, somehow intimate while also feeling like it holds you at arm's length. Many of the stories have surreal aspects that are also present in Beautyland, but it's dialed way up here. My favorite story was "The Night Gardener," in which a woman, while preparing for a local gardening contest, starts receiving balloons with messages from an unknown entity. The story has a lot going for it: intrigue, mystery, and a heavy dose of tenderness.

I received an advanced listener copy of this book and unfortunately the surrealism paired with the narration made it very, very difficult for me to follow most of these stories. It's very easy with these atypical plots to quickly lose track of what's happening. Plus, Bertino's syntax is so rich, I really wish I'd been able to read a traditional text version instead, as I think it would've made for a far better reading experience.

The plots for these stories are big--too big, perhaps, for this format. The pacing of a lot of the stories feels very fast as they try to tackle their huge plots and uncover the meaning behind them quickly. The slightly disconnected/omniscient feel of Bertino's writing, which was so spot-on for the main character of Beautyland, made it difficult for me to connect with Exit Zero's protagonists in such little time.

While Exit Zero didn't connect with me, I'm open to giving it another try in text format, and I remain wide open and excited to read more from Marie-Helene Bertino, as I still love her unique writing style and the rich worlds that she's able to build so effortlessly.

3.25 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review an advanced listener copy!

Short story collections are always hit and miss for me but the author has such a unique voice that really shines through with each story. LOVED THE NARRATOR 👏🏻

Major thanks to Dreamscape Media, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of Exit Zero in exchange for my honest review.

Marie-Helene Bertino's Exit Zero is a collection that pulses with eeriness, wonder, and a sense of reality turned sideways. The stories lead you down familiar roads only to leave you at surreal, unexpected ends. There’s a certain thrill in not knowing what shape the next page might take—ghosts, time loops, or something entirely undefinable.

While it took me some time to get used to the storytelling and the distinct writing style, I gradually found a rhythm in the chaos. At times, the stories felt broad or elusive, but I appreciated the boldness and imagination at play. There's something to be said about a writer who dares to push the boundaries of form and coherence.

The eeriness lingers long after the final line, and though not every story landed perfectly for me, the unexpected conclusions and atmosphere kept me curious and intrigued. If you’re someone who embraces the strange and lets the surreal wash over you without needing clear-cut answers, this book might just resonate in all the right ways.

Exit Zero: Stories by Marie-Helene Bertino is a collection of mystical realism stores by the author of Beautyland. I was very excited to see this book come up for review, and unfortunately, after reading Beautyland it did not live up to my personal expectations. The stories themselves were inconsistent where I loved some and most were just ok.

The narration by Adenrele Ojo was lacking for me. I found I DNF’d the audio book and because I was given an eBook as well, completed it in that format, and that was a much better experience.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Farrar, Straus and Giroux | FSG Originals for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and read the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Book Rating: 3 stars
Audiobook Rating: 2 stars
Pub Date: Apr 22 2025

Tags:
#DreamscapeMedia
#ExitZero
#FarrarStrausAndGirouz
#MarieHeleneBertino
#AdenrekeOjo
#YarisBookNook
#netgalley

This is my first book by Marie-Helene Bertino. All the stories are unique and entertaining. I do feel that reading this would be more enjoyable, though. There are some lines that I wanted to highlight!

An overall good audiobook. I think I would like to try more by Bertino in paper format.

12 stories that I seem to like more and more on each reflection--it's certainly a collection I'll return to. More fantastic premises that treat themselves as full fact. Is it really surrealism if you're convinced of the truth in the conceit throughout? [Positive]

Marie-Helene Bertino has a very distinct voice. Had I read this book without knowing who the author was, I’m certain i could have guessed. These stories are full of magic and whimsy, while at the same time dealing with serious subjects such as loss and divorce. I enjoyed these stories. My favorite one was the one about the unicorn left to the estranged daughter. I can’t remember that last time I enjoyed reading a story about a unicorn, but I’m sure I must have been about 8 years old. Thank you for that Ms Bertino. My only criticism is the voice of the narrator. I accidentally requested the ebook as well as the audio book and was granted access to both. The voice of the narrator sounded like a robot. She used the same rhythm and syntax on every single sentence and had zero emotion in her voice. I’m glad I requested the ebook, because I enjoyed reading it that way much more.

My Rating: 3.75*

I have a lot of feelings about this book so I will do my best to work through them. Exit Zero is a collection of short stories which seem to present life in various, almost surreal, ways. The stories are a bit strange, but many are captivating and intriguing. More than anything, it feels this collection encourages the readers to think beyond the end of the story. The questions of :what just happened? What else? Why present it in this way? I do not mean any of this in a negative manner, in fact, I think it lends to the reader continuing through the presented snapshots of life.
One story talks of a woman who’s estranged father has recently passed and he leaves her everything to settle his estate. One of the pieces of her inheritance is a unicorn which does not present in the most pristine way one would imagine a unicorn to be. And yet, the story feels like a gritty fairy tale. In another story, a couple buys peaches at a farmers market, even though they seem “wrong” in some way. And they soon discover the peaches are haunted. One would imagine this to be a story about a ghost and yet it’s more about the beginning of the end of a marriage. Many other stories similar to this are held within this book, and if you are interested i the unexpected, this could be a good collection of short stories to pick-up.

I really love Bertino's writing. After reading Beautyland, I couldn't wait to read more from her! This collection of short stories was all over the place, which I enjoyed, but sometimes it felt like a bit of whiplash. The unicorn story was by far my favorite with a close second being the Diamond Dust Cher story. I love Bertino's whimsical, sci-fi plots that also cover deeper meanings.

I enjoyed this collection, but I not as much as I did Beautyland. I think her full novels are more for me. Otherwise, I think a lot of these stories were really wonderful and very successful and I am glad I read this regardless!

I absolutely loved the narrator with her kind of robotic voice that seems to fit these stories so beautifully.

The stories in this collection are delightfully vivid, taking unexpected turns on every page and sometimes mid-sentence, Which is my favorite kind of storytelling. These stories are witty and disarming, never taking themselves too seriously, and so when they dip unexpectedly into profundity their effect is all the more powerful. This is Bertino's gift as a writer, I think: to warmly embrace us readers while at the same time inviting us to think more deeply about this world and its workings. Adenrele Ojo is a perfect narrator.

Exit Zero is a collection of 12 fantastical short stories, with everything from unicorns to vampires. I felt very divided after listening to this, and while I really liked some stories and kind of liked others, there were some I really didn't gel with.

I listened to the audiobook, which I think might have been the problem. Personally, I didn't find the narrator to be a good fit for these stories. They didn't give any personality to the stories and I frequently found myself rewinding and relistening to sections because I zoned out. As a big fan of audiobooks, this never happens to me!

I think I could have loved this if I had read it in print, so I would definitely check out the author's other works in physical form.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Contains 12 short stories in a sci-fi genre. These stories will take you from unicorns to vampires and cover hard topics such as grief, divorce, estrangement. I find that these stories caused visceral reactions from me; grief, elation, fear, etc. I didn’t connect with every story, but I enjoyed them. I have never read anything from this author, but it’s encouraged me to check on her catalog.

Narration was great and really helped drag me into the stories.

Thank you dreamscape media for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was given an audio review copy for free from NetGalley and Audible, in exchange for an honest review.
This feels like one of those books of short stories where I should review each one separately, since each story is very different. The first couple end quite abruptly, while some are more fleshed out. These are apparently about death, but I thought they were mainly about relationships.
It's not the sort of stories I wanted to listen to all at once, there was too much in each one. It's more a one story a day kind of situation.
I couldn't find out anything about the narrator (including her name) but she was not my favourite - except for the story with the painting of Cher, I thought she was perfect for that. But her voice was not quite right for my idea of the other protagonists.