M.J. Wassmer’s Zero Stars Do Not Recommend has a ballsy title. If it’s a bad book, the insults are just too easy. Luckily, however, it isn’t a bad book–in fact, quite the opposite–and thus said title works as this clever debut writer must have intended it to.
The premise of this speculative fiction book is ridiculous and fun, delving into issues like class warfare while including numerous pop culture references that are delightful if you pick up on them (hello, Pauly Shore reference) yet don’t distract from the narrative if you don’t. Throughout it all, as an undertone to the absurdity, there’s the constant refrain of Fight Song by Rachel Platten. Um . . . why? Yet, it works.
Our main character is Dan, who was told he was “gifted” as a child and hasn’t done much with it since. Late-twenties-something Dan is vacationing with his lovely girlfriend Mara at a brand-new tropical resort run by some trust fund baby when the sun explodes.
That’s right, the sun explodes. It’s an inherently fun setup that strongly reminded this reviewer of Libba Bray’s hilarious Beauty Queens, where beauty queens are stranded on a desert island. Following said explosion, the situation in Zero Stars quickly devolves into class warfare, as society becomes divided among the three buildings of the resort.
Building A, that which housed the rich folk, quickly situates Lilyana Collins, an Instagram-sensation-pyramid-schemer-bless-your-heart-er, at the top of the social stratosphere, where she implements harsh daily regimens towards the alleged end of general survival. In the background, however, she’s quietly plotting the restoring of a plane that can only fly an elite few from the island.
Dan at one point got ahold of a bullhorn and said a few things into it. It was almost accidental, given Dan’s passive nature, but the result is that the downtrodden think Dan could be their ticket out from under Lilyana’s thumb. For the first time in his life–which might be ending soon, which is kind of a bummer and also ironic–Dan might finally live up to his “gifted” potential.
While the humor is sometimes painted on a little thick, overall Wassmer’s debut is enormous fun. Zero Stars deftly explores issues of class and internal measures of success on a farcical and colorful stage.
Sarah Reida is a writer of dark comedy thrillers. Her Kirkus-starred adult debut, Neighborhood Watch, is Desperate Housewives meets Agatha Christie, and it was recently honored as an Amazon editorial pick as one of the Best Books of the Year So Far 2024. If you’re interested in reading a locked room thriller (i.e., a neighborhood) about terrible people getting murdered, click here. And join Sarah’s elite group of Instagram followers here.
