Exit Zero
Stories
by Marie-Helene Bertino
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Pub Date Apr 22 2025 | Archive Date May 22 2025
Farrar, Straus and Giroux | FSG Originals
Description
A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book of the Year
Winner of PEN/O. Henry Prize: “Exit Zero”
Included in The Best American Short Stories: “Viola in Midwinter”
Twelve delightfully strange, haunting stories from the acclaimed, oracular author of Beautyland.
Death-shaped entities—with all of their humor and strangeness— haunt the twelve stories in Exit Zero. Vampires, ghost girls, fathers, blank spaces, day-old peaches, and famous paintings all pierce through their world into ours, reminding us to pay attention! and look alive! and offering many other flashes of wisdom from the oracle and author of Beautyland, Marie-Helene Bertino.
A Note From the Publisher
Marketing Plan
“Stories that slide into the magical while staying determinedly real . . . Bertino’s characters . . . will remind us of our neighbors, our friends, even ourselves as we navigate their worlds in Bertino’s confident hands. Ardently whimsical, yet never centerless.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[A] potent and darkly funny collection . . . driven by energetic pacing, quick wit, and surprising twists. Bertino once again displays her formidable talent for the uncanny.” —Publishers Weekly
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780374616472 |
| PRICE | $18.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 208 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 630346
Another hilarious entry from Marie-Helene Bertino!
These stories are small miracles. Bertino is entirely at home in the short story form--all the wildness of her novels compressed into a story, over and over again. I loved living in all these worlds. I need another collection ASAP.
Thanks to the publisher for the e-galley.
Bookseller 1110153
Marie-Helene Bertino has done it again. "Exit Zero" is an absolute delight to read, and in true Bertino fashion each story is weirder than the next.
She is a master of the fabulist genre and this collection is not exception. It's definitely a must read.
Reviewer 1334686
As a huge fan of Marie-Helene Bertino’s *Beautyland*, I was excited to read her latest collection of short stories, *Exit Zero*.
Like her previous work, Bertino’s writing is both inventive and emotional. She skillfully blends observations of everyday life with elements of magic and humor, all while exploring themes of human relationships and personal identity.
The twelve stories in this collection are whimsical and lyrical, featuring relatable characters. Bertino experiments with various storytelling forms, highlighting the weirdness and beauty of humanity and our connections with one another.
I highly recommend these creative, emotional, and humorous stories. Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, as well as NetGalley, for providing this advance review copy.
Molly N, Librarian
My all time favorite author. Uncanny, eerie, genre defying, heartfelt, bizarre, laugh out loud funny. These stories scratch an itch I can’t reach—so satisfying and luminous.
Ryn W, Reviewer
WOW. This short story collection is so digestible and full of wonder. Each story left me wanting a little bit more from it, but also satisfied with how it had ended. My favorite was the titular story, Exit Zero, but they are all wonderfully written. I like the call back to the first story in In the Basement of Saint John the Divine. Just stunning prose. I am very grateful to have been gifted an e-ARC of this by FSG! I will definitely be buying a physical copy for my shelves!
reviewer 0, Media/Journalist
This is another winner by Marie-Helene Bertino. I enjoy her work so much; there is a surreal vibe that she does so well. This collection manages to be eerie and also funny - a smart and entertaining combination. I especially appreciate how she links characters together and highlights the interconnectedness of humanity.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Fred D'Aguiar; Lindsay Barrett; Paterson Joseph; Zita Holbourne; Ray Shell, Tony Medina; Tade Thompson
General Fiction (Adult), LGBTQIAP+, Poetry & Verse
