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"Romm is a close-up magician...Despite their confident, straightforward prose and their crystalline surface gloss, which recall Ann Beattie's early slice-of-life stories, Romm's narratives—call them slice-of-death—turn out to revel in ambiguities and even a gentle magic...No magic here, Romm seems to insist. But of course there is, and it's the oldest kind we know: the ordinary incantation of words and stories to help us navigate the darkness and finally-for all that this impressive collection protests otherwise-to hold the end at bay."
—New York Times Book Review

"Romm is too honest to invoke soapy sentiment; she has a darkly humorous tone, an eye for surreal possibilities and an engrossing voice that establishes distance without sacrificing emotional effect. This debut collection augurs a promising future for her."
—Miami Herald

"Imaginative and insightful."
—Kirkus Reviews

"This debut collection from wunderkind Robin Romm is spare, heartwrenching and graceful, the mark of a deep soul and infinite understanding."
—The Courier-Journal

"Startling and compelling."
—Booklist

"The Mother Garden is a rare find . . . a collection full of surprises."
—The Oregonian

"This is one debut author who is not afraid to take risks. Bizarre twists of fate, sometimes verging on magical realism, cause her otherwise straightforward tales to careen off course in exciting and unpredictable ways."
—The San Diego Union-Tribune