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Entry Level
Tales of characters trying to find their way through the struggles of underemployment.
Wendy Wimmer’s debut short story collection, Entry Level, contains a range of characters who are trying to find, assert, or salvage their identities. These fifteen stories center around the experience of being underemployed—whether by circumstance, class, gender, race, or other prevailing factors—and the toll this takes on an individual. Wimmer pushes the boundaries of reality, creating stories that are funny, fantastic, and at times terrifying. Her characters undergo feats of endurance, heartbreak, and loneliness, all while trying to succeed in a world that so often undervalues them. From a young marine biologist suffering from imposter syndrome and a haunting to a bingo caller facing another brutal snowstorm and a creature that may or not be an angel, Wimmer’s characters are all confronting an oppressive universe that seemingly operates against them or is, at best, indifferent to them. These stories reflect on the difficulties of modern-day survival and remind us that piecing together a life demands both hope and resilience.
Entry Level was selected by Deesha Philyaw as the winner of the 2021 Autumn House Fiction Prize.
"This gleefully subversive debut presents fifteen weird, wild, and wonderful stories of everyday folk surviving in a world gone haywire. From a grieving man who gets texts from the dead to a roller rink that reverses aging, Entry Level, like its title story, is strange magic indeed." ― People Magazine
"If punchy first sentences are to your taste, Wimmer’s Entry Level is the book for you. 'When Mary Ellen’s left breast grew back on its own during our Saturday dinner break, we had confirmation that something weird was happening.' Many intros seem designed to startle; several stories enter fantastical terrain. In the delightful 'Texts from Beyond,' a company purportedly helps people send messages to deceased relatives. Equally affecting are stories more rooted in the real, where Wimmer gets closer to character and emotion, such as 'Billet-Doux,' told via unsent letters addressed to celebrities, random people, inanimate objects, a recurring guy on the BART and the protagonist herself." ― Washington Post
"An intriguing, wide-ranging story collection with a hint of magic. The real and the surreal drive the 15 stories in this debut, many of which have been previously published in other formats. . . . The elements of magical realism are presented without fanfare, and Wimmer succeeds in creating a world where they are entirely plausible. Fans of Karen Russell, Veronica Schanoes, and Connie Willis are all likely to find stories to enjoy in the collection, as Wimmer blends traditional literary fiction with a touch of the fantastic. Vivid, thought-provoking stories make an enjoyable and challenging book. ― Kirkus (starred review)
"Wimmer’s innovative and darkly humorous debut collection employs emergency situations and fantastical elements as the protagonists struggle to make a living with low-paying jobs. . . . When Mary Ellen, who had a mastectomy, discovers her breast has regrown, the narrator’s understated reaction perfectly sums up the mood of Wimmer’s characters: 'We had confirmation that something weird was happening.' Throughout, Wimmer makes the most of strange situations." ― Publishers Weekly
“In the world of Entry Level, no job is too small, nor is it ever just a job. In cities and across rural landscapes and dreamscapes, we find clerks and corpses, mothers and daughters, cruise entertainers and scientists, grappling with longing and loss. The stories are, at turns, heartfelt and hilarious, wry and whimsical, full of magic and mayhem. These are well-crafted love stories, ghost stories, and stories of everyday people just trying to navigate life’s cruelties and impossibilities. Wimmer writes with an intimacy and immediacy that take you down a fresh rabbit hole from the first line, each time. Each tale is as smart, exquisite, and surprising as the next. I really didn’t want this collection to end!” -- Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
"The stories in Entry Level are propulsive, funny, delightfully unpredictable, and utterly addictive. Wimmer is a true original—a bright star of her generation. Here’s hoping Entry Level is the beginning of a long, fruitful career!" -- Dan Chaon, author of Sleepwalk
Wendy Wimmer’s debut short story collection, Entry Level, contains a range of characters who are trying to find, assert, or salvage their identities. These fifteen stories center around the experience of being underemployed—whether by circumstance, class, gender, race, or other prevailing factors—and the toll this takes on an individual. Wimmer pushes the boundaries of reality, creating stories that are funny, fantastic, and at times terrifying. Her characters undergo feats of endurance, heartbreak, and loneliness, all while trying to succeed in a world that so often undervalues them. From a young marine biologist suffering from imposter syndrome and a haunting to a bingo caller facing another brutal snowstorm and a creature that may or not be an angel, Wimmer’s characters are all confronting an oppressive universe that seemingly operates against them or is, at best, indifferent to them. These stories reflect on the difficulties of modern-day survival and remind us that piecing together a life demands both hope and resilience.
Entry Level was selected by Deesha Philyaw as the winner of the 2021 Autumn House Fiction Prize.
"This gleefully subversive debut presents fifteen weird, wild, and wonderful stories of everyday folk surviving in a world gone haywire. From a grieving man who gets texts from the dead to a roller rink that reverses aging, Entry Level, like its title story, is strange magic indeed." ― People Magazine
"If punchy first sentences are to your taste, Wimmer’s Entry Level is the book for you. 'When Mary Ellen’s left breast grew back on its own during our Saturday dinner break, we had confirmation that something weird was happening.' Many intros seem designed to startle; several stories enter fantastical terrain. In the delightful 'Texts from Beyond,' a company purportedly helps people send messages to deceased relatives. Equally affecting are stories more rooted in the real, where Wimmer gets closer to character and emotion, such as 'Billet-Doux,' told via unsent letters addressed to celebrities, random people, inanimate objects, a recurring guy on the BART and the protagonist herself." ― Washington Post
"An intriguing, wide-ranging story collection with a hint of magic. The real and the surreal drive the 15 stories in this debut, many of which have been previously published in other formats. . . . The elements of magical realism are presented without fanfare, and Wimmer succeeds in creating a world where they are entirely plausible. Fans of Karen Russell, Veronica Schanoes, and Connie Willis are all likely to find stories to enjoy in the collection, as Wimmer blends traditional literary fiction with a touch of the fantastic. Vivid, thought-provoking stories make an enjoyable and challenging book. ― Kirkus (starred review)
"Wimmer’s innovative and darkly humorous debut collection employs emergency situations and fantastical elements as the protagonists struggle to make a living with low-paying jobs. . . . When Mary Ellen, who had a mastectomy, discovers her breast has regrown, the narrator’s understated reaction perfectly sums up the mood of Wimmer’s characters: 'We had confirmation that something weird was happening.' Throughout, Wimmer makes the most of strange situations." ― Publishers Weekly
“In the world of Entry Level, no job is too small, nor is it ever just a job. In cities and across rural landscapes and dreamscapes, we find clerks and corpses, mothers and daughters, cruise entertainers and scientists, grappling with longing and loss. The stories are, at turns, heartfelt and hilarious, wry and whimsical, full of magic and mayhem. These are well-crafted love stories, ghost stories, and stories of everyday people just trying to navigate life’s cruelties and impossibilities. Wimmer writes with an intimacy and immediacy that take you down a fresh rabbit hole from the first line, each time. Each tale is as smart, exquisite, and surprising as the next. I really didn’t want this collection to end!” -- Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
"The stories in Entry Level are propulsive, funny, delightfully unpredictable, and utterly addictive. Wimmer is a true original—a bright star of her generation. Here’s hoping Entry Level is the beginning of a long, fruitful career!" -- Dan Chaon, author of Sleepwalk
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
190 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2022
26 people are currently reading
1005 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Wimmer
4 books56 followersMy debut short story collection ENTRY LEVEL: STORIES received the 2021 Autumn House Fiction Prize, positive reviews including one from Publisher's Weekly, and a starred Kirkus review. The Washington Post called it one of the short story collections worth reading for fall 2022, and People Magazine called it "gleefully subversive" in its Best New Books feature. The collection sold out on the first day of release and is currently in its third printing less than a year into release. A selection from the book was chosen for Electric Literature's short story features by Kristen Arnett and it was the most read piece on EL in 2022. The book was also recently named to Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Short Fiction for 2022 as well as an honoree for the Society of Midland Authors 2023 Book Awards. My fiction has appeared in literary journals like Barrelhouse, Waxwing, PaperDarts, Per Contra, ANMLY, Blackbird, Drunken Boat and more, as well as receiving nominations for AWP's Intro to Journals, Best New American Voices and two Pushcart nominations. My non-fiction and journalist work has appeared in Self, Sassy, Glamour, Allure, Pink, The Believer and won numerous awards including Editor of the Year and several ASPBE's silver award for Original Web Commentary.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
September 28, 2022
I love short story collections, and this one does not disappoint! Ms. Wimmer has a gift for seeing the world and reflecting it back through her writing in a way that is both honest and imaginative. After each story, I’d say to myself, “now that was my favorite,” only to be swept away by the next. A truly transporting story collection!
January 16, 2023
Bliss Montage x the Midwest. No notes ♥‿♥
September 11, 2022
It’s pretty much unheard of for a book of short stories by an unknown Midwest writer to earn a starred Kirkus review and the 2021 Autumn House Fiction Prize. But you can confirm that this collection is something special - and a little bit odd - when it begins “When Mary Ellen’s left breast grew back on its own during our Saturday dinner break, we had confirmation that something weird was happening.”
Confession: I’m not a huge fan of the short story genre. Not many people do it well. Wimmer has made me a believer. She sets up complex situations and characters using a bare minimum of well-chosen words - and mind you, these are situations where body parts grow back if you roller skate in the opposite direction, a company sells phone plans that allow texts from deceased loved ones, a woman thinks she is receiving messages from sleep study patients. Some stories take us so deep into a character’s psyche that you have to resist the temptation to go lie down afterward in a dark room with a cool cloth on your forehead. These are damaged people - but Wimmer allows us to believe in them.
I can’t promise I’ll read a lot more short stories in the future, but I can promise I’ll read everything Wendy Wimmer writes. You should too.
Confession: I’m not a huge fan of the short story genre. Not many people do it well. Wimmer has made me a believer. She sets up complex situations and characters using a bare minimum of well-chosen words - and mind you, these are situations where body parts grow back if you roller skate in the opposite direction, a company sells phone plans that allow texts from deceased loved ones, a woman thinks she is receiving messages from sleep study patients. Some stories take us so deep into a character’s psyche that you have to resist the temptation to go lie down afterward in a dark room with a cool cloth on your forehead. These are damaged people - but Wimmer allows us to believe in them.
I can’t promise I’ll read a lot more short stories in the future, but I can promise I’ll read everything Wendy Wimmer writes. You should too.
October 17, 2022
This is a wonderful collection of short stories. Honestly, based on the description of the book I was not expecting the magic realism and the elements of the super natural and horror that were woven through the stories. Much to my delight though, some of these stories gave me goosebumps.
The strongest story - and I think my favourite - is Passeridae. It’s still haunting me. I won’t spoil any details but I think you’ll think about it for a while. I also loved INGOB, Where She Went, Texts From Beyond, Seven Minutes In Heaven to name a few.
For me, the mark of a great story is not it’s completion and the neat wrapping up of the details, but the ability to breathe life into another world and make you live in that story for a while. The ability to pose questions and leave them unanswered, leave them for the reader to consider. I think Entry Level achieves that.
Overall, Entry Level is highly readable, easily accessible, and gives you a thrill. And then leaves you wanting more!
The strongest story - and I think my favourite - is Passeridae. It’s still haunting me. I won’t spoil any details but I think you’ll think about it for a while. I also loved INGOB, Where She Went, Texts From Beyond, Seven Minutes In Heaven to name a few.
For me, the mark of a great story is not it’s completion and the neat wrapping up of the details, but the ability to breathe life into another world and make you live in that story for a while. The ability to pose questions and leave them unanswered, leave them for the reader to consider. I think Entry Level achieves that.
Overall, Entry Level is highly readable, easily accessible, and gives you a thrill. And then leaves you wanting more!
October 7, 2022
A great read. If you like your stories a little dark, sassy, funny, or poignant, this anthology is for you.
October 14, 2023
Big yes to these short stories!!!!!!!!
January 10, 2025
some stories hit or miss for me, but more hit than miss and very strong, unique, and enjoyable when they did hit
May 17, 2024
Oh man, how does one come UP with so many different stories?! Funny, goofball, quirky… I took a class with Wendy and she was so fun and dynamic. Her book is the same!
July 26, 2023
What isn’t entry level? This book and this author. Wimmer has a style all her own and you will be captivated by page 1. I can’t wait to see what’s next for this author!
October 14, 2022
This eclectic collection of stories has something for everyone, the mundane and the unworldly and a lot in between. From caring for an aging parent to caring for an ancient relic, from a small town in Wisconsin to the shattered focus of San Francisco, the stories vary in tone and voice and genre but all show compassion.
Wimmer turns some wonderful phrases as well.
Wimmer turns some wonderful phrases as well.
July 29, 2023
so good !
faves: strange magic, fuse, texts from beyond, flarby, seven minutes in heaven
faves: strange magic, fuse, texts from beyond, flarby, seven minutes in heaven
April 2, 2025
Every single story in this collection stands on its own and I'm gobsmacked by Wimmer's ability to build a world and execute a plot within the constraints of this genre. Each character, setting, and situation was fully realized and her imagination brought me into unexpected worlds with wry humor, sorrow, and several moments of pure shock.
I don't typically read a short story collection straight through, but in this case I did.
Definitely something in this book for any reader--a bit of fantasy, a bit of sci-fi, some romance, lots of action, and an abundance of themes to chew on once you're done.
I don't typically read a short story collection straight through, but in this case I did.
Definitely something in this book for any reader--a bit of fantasy, a bit of sci-fi, some romance, lots of action, and an abundance of themes to chew on once you're done.
July 31, 2023
These stories have stuck with me, so an extra half star because I can still recall the stories and my feelings about the stories quite clearly. But a half a star off for me personally because I have lost tolerance for sad stories, and these are, at least many of them are, about people who made a seemingly temporary or inconsequential choice early in their lives which has left their lives permanently crippled. What they did at eighteen ruined their lives and it wasn't even recognizable as any kind of mistake at the time. That's kind of brilliant, if you think about it.
That said, the writing is brilliant. A handful of times I reread lines because I could not understand what the author meant to say. More often, I reread passages because they were funny or wise and often both at once. One thing I most appreciated is that the characters all had work. They are anthropologists or roller rink workers, clerical or professional. They go to work and their jobs are often key to their stories.
The other thing that will stay with me is the fantastic elements in most stories—the entity that hands out dreams and after being patient about a woman's use of Nyquil to avoid the dreams they are handing her, waits until they find an opening and becomes casually vindictive. In the case of that story, the "mistake" is a sleep aide.
Back when I was reading for my MFA, the story collections everyone recommended most often revolved around characters who seemed to have no occupation at all. Perhaps those authors had trust funds and had never worked themselves. Perhaps, as writers, they simply found "work" irrelevant. In real life, work matters. It certainly is present and significant in the lives of these characters.
So five stars and I might even reread these just to see how she did it. Five.
My review of this collection will appear in the next edition of CALYX Journal, October 2023.
That said, the writing is brilliant. A handful of times I reread lines because I could not understand what the author meant to say. More often, I reread passages because they were funny or wise and often both at once. One thing I most appreciated is that the characters all had work. They are anthropologists or roller rink workers, clerical or professional. They go to work and their jobs are often key to their stories.
The other thing that will stay with me is the fantastic elements in most stories—the entity that hands out dreams and after being patient about a woman's use of Nyquil to avoid the dreams they are handing her, waits until they find an opening and becomes casually vindictive. In the case of that story, the "mistake" is a sleep aide.
Back when I was reading for my MFA, the story collections everyone recommended most often revolved around characters who seemed to have no occupation at all. Perhaps those authors had trust funds and had never worked themselves. Perhaps, as writers, they simply found "work" irrelevant. In real life, work matters. It certainly is present and significant in the lives of these characters.
So five stars and I might even reread these just to see how she did it. Five.
My review of this collection will appear in the next edition of CALYX Journal, October 2023.
October 31, 2023
Very inventive and fun. You can tell you're in good hands by the end of the first page.
January 27, 2025
This was certainly a set of unusual stories!
On the whole, I loved the creativity even if I wasn't always sure what was going on in the author's mind. The stories largely have a gloomy, somewhat magical (and not in a good way) feel to them, so I just went along for the ride and appreciated the author's imagination, dark humor, and sadness of her characters.
On the whole, I loved the creativity even if I wasn't always sure what was going on in the author's mind. The stories largely have a gloomy, somewhat magical (and not in a good way) feel to them, so I just went along for the ride and appreciated the author's imagination, dark humor, and sadness of her characters.
June 28, 2025
Entry Level was a marvel. Each short story left me reeling from the intimacy I felt for the characters and the labyrinthine circumstances in which they found themselves. Wimmer's deft writing brought me deeply into each character's world with a magical slight of hand rarely found. It's no wonder it won the Autumn House Fiction Prize, and received a starred Kirkus Review.
September 26, 2022
So well written and impossible to put down!
July 26, 2023
Such great writing! Wimmer chooses words that bring the stories and the characters to life. You need this for your collection!!!
July 8, 2024
This book of stories really caught my interest and held it. Mesmerizing. I recommend it highly.
April 28, 2025
a gripping and detailed collection of short stories i would consider paranormal or disturbing. i didn’t want this book to end as quickly as it did, but i had a hard time putting it down. i’m so glad i came across this, feels like a hidden gem.
April 28, 2025
overall really enjoyed. some were def more up my alley than others (faves include where she went, fuse, ingob!!, texts from beyond!!!, seven minutes in heaven, intersomnolence!) (lowkey flarby, feogin, strange magic, and the bog king)
love a magical realism moment !!
love a magical realism moment !!
December 5, 2023
I can’t stop thinking about these stories. Both haunting and hilarious.
January 14, 2023
This book is fantastic. Ordinary elements swerve into wild and weird curiosities. Even the disturbing parts make you crave more.
Want to read
September 4, 2025read the states: wisconsin
November 30, 2022
A book compiled of short stories some which perplexed me and some that transported me back in time to situations I too had experienced. Very good book to read when you know you have time for a short story to pull you and spit you out looking at the world just a little differently.
August 1, 2022
These stories were totally original and unique, and yet familiar at the same time. I found it propulsive, and I zoomed through each story. The string of work tying them together was perfect, just enough to connect these stories that were sometimes fantastical and sometimes almost too real. Winner has an eye for the human condition, and a way with words. The somewhat gothic examinations of characters brought to mind Flannery O’Conner. Highly recommend this collection for anyone interested in quality writing of some hardscrabble characters with a bit of the whimsical thrown in. My only complaint was that some of the references were a bit dated in a way that seemed sort out-of-touch rather than purposeful. (One random one that comes to mind is in “Billet-Doux” the references to quotes on Starbucks cups or saying something is “like crack”)
December 24, 2022
I will say upfront - I'm a long time fan of Wendy's writing. I was not disappointed by this collection of short stories. In fact, I was torn between wanting to read the whole collection in one, and wanting to hoard them, reading one at a time to make them last as long as possible.
The prose is gorgeous, unrushed, but fitting a whole world into the few pages of each story. There is sadness and hope, and a gentle melancholy with just a touch of magic here and there.
I'm not going to describe any of the individual stories, other than to say on first reading Billet-Doux was my favourite (the unexpected but perfectly timed sick burn on SJP made me chuckle out loud on the train), however it is Strange Magic that I find myself thinking back on in quiet moments.
The prose is gorgeous, unrushed, but fitting a whole world into the few pages of each story. There is sadness and hope, and a gentle melancholy with just a touch of magic here and there.
I'm not going to describe any of the individual stories, other than to say on first reading Billet-Doux was my favourite (the unexpected but perfectly timed sick burn on SJP made me chuckle out loud on the train), however it is Strange Magic that I find myself thinking back on in quiet moments.
October 8, 2022
A lovely collection of weird little stories about corners of our weird little world.
October 21, 2022
One vendor I found classifies this book as “magical realism.” That’s wrong. There’s no magic here. Instead, I’d call it “weird realism.”
Wendy Wimmer’s phantasmagorical short story collection, “Entry Level,” traverses some strange literary terrain. Many of the fifteen stories read like lucid dreams. Indeed, Elle, the sleep scientist in “Intersomnolence,” wonders about the lost meaning of her dreams.
“It’s impossible for the normal human brain to not dream. Elle dreams but simply does not remember. She knows this for a fact. Working graveyard as a polysomnography technician at the sleep lab, she has the luxury of complimentary brain scans… She has held her dreams in her hand on a black-and-white printout. They look like bunny tracks in the snow.”
It torments Elle that although she collects extensive data on her subjects’ dreams, she can only guess about her own. Similarly, readers of these stories may appreciate Wimmer’s wit and whimsy, but at the same time be unsure if they understood the endings or if there are levels of meaning they missed.
The strength of this collection is that Wimmer places quirky but relatable people in unreal, implausible scenarios and turns them loose. In “Strange Magic,” the staff at the Rola-Rena skating rink discover that by skating backwards, they can reverse time. In “Where She Went,” some unspecified supernatural or extraterrestrial beings referred to as “we” disturb a woman’s happy domestic life by sending her dreams of a baby. “Fuse” explores the challenges of having a love life when you are half of a cojoined pair. A shady network service provider offers a package whereby customers can receive a deceased loved one’s “Texts from Beyond.” Readers approach each new story wondering, what in the world can Wimmer come up with next?
Overall, the quality that makes this collection so much fun is its inventive scenarios. Wimmer’s characters exhibit some peculiar attitudes, struggles, and predilections, so they are by no means one dimensional, but it’s the offbeat circumstances surrounding them that stand out. These stories tend to be short (under 4000 words) – I’d like to see the author give the characters room to grow and change, and for more complex plots to develop.
“Entry Level,” an aptly named debut collection, arrives with excellent credentials, having won the 2021 Autumn House Fiction Prize. Watch this writer.
October 19, 2023
"Working graveyard as a polysomnography technician at the sleep lab, she has the luxury of complimentary brain scans and she has seen proof that her parietal lobe is pristine and undamaged, a plum of an organ, so much better than, say, her liver."
This sentence, from her 2010 story “Intersomnolence,” captures a lot of what is strongest about Wendy Wimmer’s Entry Level, a collection of short fiction. The characters in these stories tend to work odd jobs: DJ at a roller-skating rink, part-time cashier at a bingo parlor, adjunct paleoanthropologist—or nightshift “polysomnography technician at the sleep lab.” Not the jet set, not the overachievers, but rather the struggling car salesman and “the fifth clarinet in marching band.”
The perks appreciated by Wimmer’s protagonists, such as “complimentary brain scans,” are also part of the appeal. The first story in the collection, “Strange Magic,” which is also the best, illustrates this nicely. The staff at a roller rink start skating between shifts when they discover that under the right conditions—doing laps counterclockwise, under a disco ball, while synth-heavy ’80s pop music plays—the aging process is ever-so-gradually halted and reversed, a few days per lap. Hair and fingernails stop growing. A woman with a mastectomy watches her breast suddenly return—along with the tumor. A blessing or a curse?
Read the entire review here: https://lasvegasreviewofbooks.com/fic...
This sentence, from her 2010 story “Intersomnolence,” captures a lot of what is strongest about Wendy Wimmer’s Entry Level, a collection of short fiction. The characters in these stories tend to work odd jobs: DJ at a roller-skating rink, part-time cashier at a bingo parlor, adjunct paleoanthropologist—or nightshift “polysomnography technician at the sleep lab.” Not the jet set, not the overachievers, but rather the struggling car salesman and “the fifth clarinet in marching band.”
The perks appreciated by Wimmer’s protagonists, such as “complimentary brain scans,” are also part of the appeal. The first story in the collection, “Strange Magic,” which is also the best, illustrates this nicely. The staff at a roller rink start skating between shifts when they discover that under the right conditions—doing laps counterclockwise, under a disco ball, while synth-heavy ’80s pop music plays—the aging process is ever-so-gradually halted and reversed, a few days per lap. Hair and fingernails stop growing. A woman with a mastectomy watches her breast suddenly return—along with the tumor. A blessing or a curse?
Read the entire review here: https://lasvegasreviewofbooks.com/fic...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews