Volume 0: Issue 5

Volume 0

by Emma Cline, Nada Alic, Jan Carson

Short story collection

Genres: Short Stories

106 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2025

About the author

Emma Cline is an American writer and novelist, originally from California. She published her first novel, "The Girls", in 2016, to positive reviews. The book was shortlisted for the John Leonard Award from the National Book Critics Circle and the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize.
Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, Tin House, Granta and The Paris Review.
In 2017 Cline was named one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists.

Reviews

[Kelsie Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good volume for me.

• Los Angeles: 3.5 Stars
• Fantasy Dad Talk: 3 Stars
• Quickly While They Still Have Horses: 2.5 Stars
• Interns: 4 Stars
• Terrible Argument: 4 Stars
• Bad Boy: 4.5 Stars
• Wood Sorrel Horse: 4.5 Stars

[Miranda · Rating 1 out of 5]

the volume zero books are getting too weird for me.

every issue, I like the stories less and less.

Story #1 Los Angeles is about selling used panties

Sorry #2 Fantasy Dad talk is about wishing your dad would die

Story #3 they still have horses is wanting to see the horses before they go extinct

story #4 interns is about sugar daddy and a working corporate girl

story #5 terrible argument is about an abused dog and fighting couple

story #6 bad boy is about a couples kinky sex with a friend

story #7 wood sorrel house is about a couple living in a cabin

they all sound like they have promise, but to me they are all weird and fall short

it took me forever to finish this lit magazine because I didn't enjoy any of the stories.

I bought a bundle of volume zero from BOTM, after the bundle deal ends I don't think I'll be re-ordering.

in fact these stories sucked so much I want my money back 😂

[Daphne Rogozinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of these have been 3-4 star for me. It wouldn’t let me rate the last one, which was also a 4 star.

[Nora Lupi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were fresh and left me wanting more. The first one especially. Many of the others fell a little flat, evoking less emotion than I had hoped.

[anthony]

each short story is infused with a good helping of dread that really just kept me chugging along; enjoyed having this to space out some of my other reading

[Heather Cochran · Rating 2 out of 5]

i got FOMO when i ordered these from BOM and this is the first one i’ve read. unimpressed.

[Hailey Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Volume had me a little bored and very disturbed at times, not my favorite.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth issue of Book of the Month Volume 0 series. Great short stories and sampling of unknown (to me) writers.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Los Angeles 2 - uh okay?
Fantasy Dad Talk 5 - parent issues? READ THIS
Quickly while they still have horses 1 - entitled people + animals = depression for me
Interns 2 - okay story looking at a professional gf from an outside perspective
Terrible argument 2 - premise would have been better if the arguments were more contained
Bad boy 4 - whew, tough read
Wood squirrel house -

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this set of stories more than I liked other sets. I enjoyed that they were all different genres so if I didn't care for one story the others made up for it.


*** Volume 0: Issue 6**** I thought this was the best one yet. I enjoyed most of the stories. There were 2 that weren't my favorite, but weren't horrible.