Burner: And Other Stories

by Katrina Denza

Genres: Short Stories

172 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2025

Reviews

[Lee Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this set of short stories. Maybe my favorite collection of shorts, ever. I kept this on the night stand and finished a chapter a night. Each felt more robust than the next and Katrina completely wowed me with her ability to capture a rich story in short word count. I absolutely recommend this for anyone that likes messy stories about love, desire, and yearning. I can't say enough how wonderful this collection was.

[Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katrina Denza’s debut collection, Burner and Other Stories, is a powerful and moving portrait of relationships—warts, harsh words, divorce, and all. You’ll probably recognize these characters as your neighbors, friends, or family, going through the challenges of estrangement, loss, and disappointment. As we all must, they find ways to cope and learn that life goes on. In a spare, compact style that has a knife’s edge, Denza has given us a wonderful assemblage of stories that expose the complex underbelly of daily life.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denza's compelling short stories delve into the messy relationships between lovers, parents, and exes. From using burner phones to taking selfies and making art, the characters strive to be truly seen in a world where women--particularly older women--are often invisible, and too often abused. The protagonists are haunted by mistakes and broken relationships, but are determined to move forward with clarity and on their own terms. Each story is beautifully written and satisfying, with insights into power, control, and connection, both online and off. Denza is a compassionate and skillful writer. Burner is moving and hard to put down. Highly recommend!

[Jessica Treadway · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories in this beautifully conceived and beautifully crafted collection speak to the way we live our lives today: often fragmented and detached, yet yearning for more personal and meaningful connection. Denza’s complex, three-dimensional characters alternate between welcoming technology’s invitation to avoid direct contact, and feeling dismayed by how easily a curated reality can be mistaken for the real thing. You will live in these profound stories both while you’re reading them and afterward, and they’ll make you think and feel. A gorgeous collection.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of short stories will not disappoint. Each story is beautifully written, and within the story there always seems to be a thorn just under the surface of the protag's skin. None of that soap opera stuff...instead a literary device that makes the characters reveal more than they are wanting or willing to tell. The depth and complexity of that makes each character human and real, good and bad, suspended in life situations that have, in real life, challenged many of us.

Women have certain universalities, and Ms. Denza has tapped into that.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories invite you in, like a good friend, and make you want to keep coming back. The characters are flawed but we see ourselves in them and root for them. They don't always know exactly what they want--or what's good for them--but their desire is palpable. The stories are playful, sexy, funny, surprising. Clever, yet accessible. Full of heart, yet plugged into the world of social media and AI and holograms. I enjoyed reading this collection, from start to finish.

[Barbara Presnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such skillful writing! I so admire the way Denza weaves in and out of a story but always ends unexpectedly but just right. Her structure takes me back to Bobbie Ann Mason who could make every word, every scene, every bit of dialogue count on many levels. Readable, memorable, and real.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daughters, mothers, wives, lovers. You will recognize the challenges the women in these stories face, but you will be astonished by their courage and honesty. Every one of Katrina Denza's stories made me want to be braver. This is a great book for book clubs! So much to discuss!

[Joanna Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

a smart, wonderful story collection

[Jody Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

The relationships here were compelling, layered. Really strong stories dealing frankly with women, women’s bodies, relationship power struggles. Highly recommend.

[Matt Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. The stories were so engaging and fun. So so so good.