Exit Zero Stories

Twelve strange, luminous stories that blur the line between our world and the next.

Marie-Helene Bertino—the oracular voice behind Beautyland—returns with Exit Zero, a collection where death-shaped entities drift through the everyday with unexpected humor and grace. Here, vampires share space with ghost girls, fathers linger as blank spaces, and famous paintings pierce through their frames into our lives, each one whispering: pay attention, look alive.

This isn’t your typical short story collection. Bertino writes with the precision of a magician, crafting narratives that feel both deeply familiar and delightfully uncanny. The New York Times Book Review calls her work “dazzling,” and it’s easy to see why—these twelve stories shimmer with the kind of wisdom that catches you off guard, like finding sea glass on a familiar stretch of beach.

Recognition includes:

• Winner of the PEN/O. Henry Prize for “Exit Zero”
• “Viola in Midwinter” selected for The Best American Short Stories
• Named a Must-Read by The New York Times Book Review, Bustle, Harper’s Bazaar, and Literary Hub

Perfect for readers who love literary fiction that takes risks, Exit Zero is a collection that lingers long after the final page—haunting in the best possible way. Stop by the shop to discover why Marie-Helene Bertino is one of contemporary fiction’s most distinctive voices.

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