-- FINALIST IN THE 2018 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS --
"These characters come to life and become a community of young people trying to figure out how to listen to themselves and who to approach or avoid. The surprises they find in encounters with strangers are moving and provocative. A deep and satisfying book."
~ Frances Bartkowski, An Afterlife
A Way Out of Nowhere
“A Way Out of Nowhere is a collection of stories told with intelligence and compassion. Nancy Gerber writes lucidly and unsentimentally about women’s lives; the body, pregnancy and babies, love and betrayal. She’s interested in the way we can isolate ourselves but remain hungry for connection. Her characters are failed by boyfriends, parents, husbands, but they persevere, survive, and even prevail.”
~ Marjorie Tesser, Editor, Mom Egg Review
“In A Way Out of Nowhere, Nancy Gerber’s debut short story collection, the reader travels in the minds of various characters struggling to negotiate relationships, aspirations, and life’s yearnings. Gerber writes like she’s painting, with layers, angles, and spot-on detail, as well as a three-dimensional perspective on the human condition. Imbued with honesty and insight, the nine nuanced stories invite reflection. The reader will linger over these stylishly and economically told tales long after turning the final page.”
~ Ellen Sherman, Just the Facts
“To the list of short story writers whose deft, discerning gems will absorb and entertain you, add Nancy Gerber. In A Way out of Nowhere you will meet people who may seem familiar to you—that is, if you know women who find motherhood too much for them; teenagers with adult-sized problems and few skills to deal with them; college students trying to rebound from date rape. These stories take you beneath the surface of the characters’ lives; the protagonists’ travails and occasional quiet revelations will linger with you after you close the book. Memorable and thought-provoking, these stories do not opt for tidy endings. Nancy Gerber’s tales station the reader at the protagonists’ side for a close-up view of situations commonplace but challenging. You can’t flinch from this reality, even when the characters do.”
~ Annie Stenzel, The First Home Air After Absence