Kate Zambreno

It's true what they say about those ex-Catholic schoolgirls. The naughty yet doe-eyed heroines in "The Falling Nun and other Stories" cry out to be loved, fuck to be saved, and search to believe and be freed from their angst. Berkman's vision of the dating landscape is littered with Christian iconography--actual nuns, little plastic nuns, numerous Messiah figures, cycles of rebellion and guilt, and the theme of religious catharsis through suffering, like in "Tat," when the pretty girl protagonist experiences an awakening when she gets a tattoo. Berkman pulls a nice trick interweaving characters and story-lines together to underscore this idea of a sisterhood of women, made most clear in the title story, where a cubicle community of lonelyhearts rally against the kitschy religious figurines they previously used as love talismans (or taliswomen?). An engaging entry into the field of quirky chick lit.

Berkman reads from "The Falling Nun and other Stories" on February 25 at 7:30pm at Barbara's Bookstore, 1350 North Wells, (312)642-5044

(2003-02-19)

Also by Kate Zambreno

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Caught on tape
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